Damon Thompson Damon Thompson looks over his nearly completed mural of Carole Lombard in Jeffersonville.Photo by Kathryn Harrington
Arts & Culture

Have a brush, will paint a mural: The iconic art of Damon Thompson

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When Damon Thompson was laid off last month from the Habitat ReStore, he got to work on his latest project — murals on people’s garages, sheds and other property. So far, the Louisville artist has completed 20 throughout Louisville and Southern Indiana as well as one in Shepherdsville. As he began to display his work in Facebook posts, requests for murals started to pour in. This week, he had 40 people on his waiting list. He can be reached on Instagram at @damonpaints

This is what he tells people who are interested in having him paint one for them:

“Here is how it works.

1. You send me a picture of the exterior wall/fence/trailer/garage

2. A list of 3-5 icons or starlets. I’m better at women than men, but men are acceptable. I’ll pick a picture that best fits the architecture, location, and you

3. Optional donations of PayPal or Venmo accepted, but not required. I usually spend between $50-$100 in paint for each job, please don’t break the bank if you do decide to make a donation. And don’t feel bad if you are broke.

Unfortunately, the list is capped at the moment. The response was overwhelming and I am booked until June. At that point, I may be able to go back to my day job, so I’m not sure if there will be a round 3 list, but I will put your name down just in case?

I appreciate that you reached out. It takes a lot of courage to decide to put large spray-can art onto your building.”

Thompson references an image of actress Carole Lombard, a comedic actress from the 1930s, for one of his murals.
Before spray painting, Thompson began with a sketch on paper.
Thompson began work on a portrait of Carole Lombard by putting down a base layer of paint and then adding the basic outline of the piece.
Damon Thompson spray painted a portrait of actress of Carole Lombard in Jeffersonville, Indiana.
Thompson looked over his nearly completed mural of Carole Lombard in Jeffersonville.
A portrait of poet Alice Perry by Damon Thompson.
Thompson at work on a mural of Gloria Swanson.
Thompson uses bold color schemes for his spraypainted portraits.
A mural of movie star Gloria Swanson by Damon Thompson in Jeffersonville, Indiana.
Damon Thompson with his completed mural of actress Carole Lombard.