CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A mural that's been a mainstay for years in Charlotte's art district NoDa has been mistakenly painted over, the artist confirmed.
Osiris Rain said his mural "Bloom" was covered when a painting company contracted to paint over a nearby advertisement mural painted over the wrong mural.
"This wasn’t done out of any animosity or intent for harm," Rain said on an Instagram post. "It just happened."
“Bloom” was initially commissioned as a Stella Artois mural, leased for about six months on a wall on the corner of East 35th Street and North Davidson Street.
A photo of Bloom, provided by Rain in 2019, placed side-by-side with a photo from this week shows the impact of the lost art.
Once the lease ran out, Rain previously told WCNC Charlotte he didn’t want the company to get free advertising -- so he repainted it on his own dime to fit the NoDa neighborhood more.
The finished product showcased a lotus, which Rain said represented rebirth and renewal. In the background of the mural, you could see letters spelling out "Charlotte" along with a Queen City crown on each person's head. Dogwood blossoms twisted into a DNA strand across the mural, signifying the importance of the North Carolinian identity.
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Rain said on Instagram he is working with those involved to find remedies, and said he will potentially be commissioned to either repaint the wall as "Bloom" was or create a new design -- saying given the lotus' symbolism of growth and change, it was "a little poetic."
"So perhaps in a way, it was a small blessing and reflective of the nature of Noda as a growing neighborhood," Rain said in the post.
