Painter and Muralist Kevin Bate strives to make Chattanooga ever more beautiful
One of Chattanooga’s most important natural resources is its artists. A perfect example of this is renowned painter Kevin Bate, who in addition to art has created the McCallie Walls Mural Project. He is the driving force behind this citywide beautification effort, which is also resulting in the world’s first drive-through art gallery.
Kevin is best known for his monumental murals, in which he paints iconic portraits that are simple, elegant, and delightfully accurate. One can hardly drive around town without experiencing one of his pieces, many of which are spot-on images of historical figures. Kevin manages to accomplish a high degree of realism with simple, refined shapes—in one of his murals on McCallie Street, he does this with nothing but grey squares, cleverly portraying the face of Lupe.
“I have always been fascinated with faces,” Kevin explains. “Everybody’s face is made of the same things—two eyes, a nose, a mouth—but within those things are infinite combinations.”
In less than a decade, this fascination has led Kevin to greatness, but he didn’t intend to be the artistic celebrity that he has become. Rather, he kind of stumbled into it.
In high school, he needed an easy A, so he signed up for art class. Kevin had no idea that he had talent when he enrolled in the class. The first week, the instructor set up a still life with a wine bottle and a tea kettle and said “let’s see what you can do,” and it was recognizably good. He became interested, and took as many art courses as he could.
He attended SCAD for a year, then went to UGA to finish his education. After working as a graphic designer for an advertising firm for years, being on call for all of the Art Directors, he needed a break from art—so he moved to Chattanooga and opened a shop called Black Dog Records on Frazier Ave.
Then, while visiting them in Atlanta, Kevin’s parents brought up the subject of him not painting anymore. Inspired by their concern, he rummaged through his things, pulled out his paints, and started painting again that week.
He said “This is awesome, why don’t I do this anymore?” and promptly made a bunch of paintings. He put five pieces up in the original Mojo Burrito in St. Elmo, where his work was first discovered. Shaun LaRose was eating there with his wife, saw Kevin’s paintings, and asked him to paint a mural at a new bar/music venue called Discoteca. The resulting Samuel Jackson mural quickly became a Southside landmark, and the rest is history.
“I don’t think I’ve ever done anything in life by the steps,” he says. “I’ve always stumbled and fallen into things. There’s never been a clear path for me.”
Kevin was commissioned to paint more monumental portraits, including a picture of Bessie Smith at Track 29, and a Martin Luther King on MLK Blvd, when fate interceded again. Paul Cummings, owner of Woople, was trying to figure out who was painting the murals around town. It just so happened that one of Kevin’s friends, who worked for Paul, had his art open at her desk one day. Paul saw the images on her computer screen, exclaiming, “Whose art is that?”
“Oh, that’s my friend Kevin,” she replied.
That was the beginning of the Faces of Technology Mural, which gave him a lot of exposure and helped him to get more jobs. The series of six portraits on the corner of Frazier and Tremont also helped to build momentum towards the McCallie Walls Mural project.
It all began with an idea: “For a minimal amount of money, we can get a lot of artists working, get them exposure, beautify the community, and celebrate our history.”
Kevin went to groups like Makework organization, and basically said “Hey, I want to take ugly walls and put art on them, using all local artists.” They gave him his first grant, which he used to buy his scaffolding and start the project. It has since blossomed into one of Chattanooga’s artistic treasures, transforming the dreary McCallie St. corridor into a series of gorgeous vistas. Last year, the project gained national attention when he added five portraits paying tribute to the soldiers who lost their lives in February.
This year, Kevin is up to more big things, and some smaller things as well. His current mural project is developing inside The Edwin Hotel, and he will be continuing the McCallie Walls Mural Project.
He is displaying some paintings at The Chattanooga Workspace’s Gallery, the next exhibition being on Friday, February 3, and he also has some paintings on display at Area 61. Check out his portfolio at goodwithfaces.com
Photo courtesy Kevin Bate