Cathy Salustri
A Hawaiian-inspired mural with greens, oranges, and purples illuminates the side of Low Tide Kava Bar.
St. Pete artist Erik Jones spent more than a month preparing, sketching, and painting his newest creation for the Gulfport kava joint. Jones explained how Kava originates from Hawaii, which led him to this concept.
“We had a few completely different concepts, but we ended up settling on a tropical theme,” Jones told The Gabber Newspaper. “I showed them a loose digital concept, and the fire was last minute, and they let me just go crazy with it.”
Visitors can see a scene of a volcano erupting with bright orange lava sliding down a mountain. Vines, palm trees, and native Hawaiian greenery surround the volcano.
Regulars at the kava bar reached out to the owners suggesting they should check out his work. Jones created roughly five murals in the past six years.
Although this wall may seem like a large canvas, he said it’s one of his smallest murals.
“The one I did before this is at Lululemon and it was much longer,” Jones said. “And then there’s two in Sarasota that’s like a six story or like a five story thing.”
Jones said this project took just as long as his larger projects. With the help of some friends, he finished this tropical painting on May 12.
“It was a lot of fun, felt very creative. I normally don’t get to be this creative on a wall. I feel like it’s more like a painting,” Jones said.
Low Tide Kava Bar, 2902A Beach Blvd. S., Gulfport. 727-202-6824, lowtidekavabar.com
