Midtown Houston Becomes a Street Art Mecca

HOUSTON—For a look at an art technique deemed “Canpressionism,” head over to 3120 Smith St. in Midtown. A new street art installation painted by Houston graffiti artist Sebastien “Mr. D” Boileau is available for viewing at Morgan’s new Pearl Marketplace. Commissioned by multifamily developer Morgan, the 70- by 20-foot art mural celebrates the construction workers who made the project a reality.

“I live in the neighborhood and have watched the construction process step-by-step,” says Mr. D. “I was inspired by the amount of effort that goes into a project like this. The art wall is about the people who built it. I wanted to honor the workers in this industry and highlight what they represent, their diversity and collective effort.”

The permanent mural depicts, in abstract pixilation and a broad color palette, five of the people who actually worked on the project to represent all the construction workers. A finishing coat of clear high-quality epoxy protects the art from weathering and stray graffiti tagging.

Born in Versailles, France in 1973, Boileau began his art career in Paris in 1987 at the age of 14. He immigrated to the United States in 1998 and two years later, launched his successful street-art inspired mural company, Eyeful Art Murals and Design in Houston. Mr. D describes his style as “Canpressionism,” a neo-impressionist texture primarily done with spray paint and street-art techniques.

The new mixed-use midrise, which contains 264 residential units above a 40,000-square-foot Whole Foods Market on the ground floor, is slated to start leasing on June 1, 2019.

“This is now Morgan’s fourth development in the Midtown neighborhood, and we believe Pearl Marketplace will become a centerpiece property for the Midtown community,” said Philip Morgan, development vice president for Morgan. “As a developer, we strive to make sure each of our communities is unique and fits into the neighborhood. The idea of a large art mural on Smith Street presented a great opportunity to make the project feel unique, as well as add to the energy that already exists in Midtown.”

In addition, Morgan will be a sponsor of the “Préservons la Création” fifth anniversary celebration at 2819 Fannin St. on May 31, 2019, that will kick off Midtown’s annual Children’s Festival. During the event, kids will be invited to express their inner artist by painting on a wall mural-sized strip of clear vinyl.

“Morgan is considering having Mr. D paint other areas inside the community, a garage wall, for example, in keeping with the graffiti look, but has no current plans for installations at other properties,” Morgan tells GlobeSt.com. “This artist, among others, has other installations in Midtown, including “Préservons la Création”.

Houston, once again, is literally on the rise. Houston claimed the number 37 spot out of a total 79 cities on a CBRE cities to watch list, a notable improvement from its number 60 ranking in 2017. Interestingly, investors favored the rising H-Town business startup activity.