An artist ever since she could hold a crayon, Erica Norwood’s painted murals can be seen all over town. Her art has graced many walls since painting her first mural at a Mexican restaurant, including at RE:defined Coffee House in Grapevine, Psych Connect in Southlake and Popcorn Central in Trophy Club.
“Once I started posting murals [on social media], businesses started reaching out. Now I probably paint an even mix of homes and businesses and just murals of every kind,” Erica says. “It is a lot of fun because every artist dreams of painting on the biggest canvas possible and a wall gives you a lot of space to paint on.”
With a background in portrait painting, Erica feared her work would dry up two years ago when people weren’t going out as much. But to her surprise, the opposite happened.
“I think people were home so much that they got tired of staring at blank walls,” Erica says. “I just started getting calls for murals, and they just didn’t stop coming.”
From larger-than-life flowers to scenic beach scenes, Erica has painted it all.
“My favorite thing is the variety,” Erica says. “I can paint in a Mexican restaurant and paint a sugar skull one week, and then the next week, I could paint a faux marble wall and do something totally different. I never get bored and I’m always getting to challenge myself.”
Before she begins a new mural painting, Erica says a few considerations come into play such as the size, color and material of the wall. But more than anything else, getting to know the customer is most important. Learning what they want, like and are inspired by helps guide Erica to design a mural that they’ll love.
“It never feels like work,” Erica says. “I really wouldn’t even change anything about it. It just feels like exactly where I want to be right now, and I love it.”