A drive down Towles Avenue is brighter and more inspirational thanks to a mural. 

Homeowner Megan Smith added a touch of color, liveliness and character to the side of her garage by painting sunflowers, geometric shapes and words to inspire neighbors and passersby to seek joy in their lives.

“Hopefully, this bright and vibrant mural can bring people joy,” said Smith. “I love it when people smile. This was my way of helping give people something to smile about and inspire them to find joy in things so they can continue to smile.”

Sunflowers symbolize adoration, loyalty and longevity. Much of the meaning of sunflowers stems from the sun itself. Sunflowers are known for being “happy” flowers, making them the perfect gift to bring joy to someone’s day.

“I actually placed the sunflowers last year in April. It looked a little dull without anything else. So, I followed those up this year with the rest of it. I woke up one morning and said to my husband, Mark, it’s time to paint the garage.”

While this is not Megan’s first painting, it was her first one outdoors. The geometric shapes were COVID-19 inspired.

“I’ve done some in church nurseries, an elementary school, and people have paid me to do their own children’s nurseries. This is my first outside one. I’ve never used geometric shapes before. I’ve seen people during the quarantine using chalk to create geometric shapes. I wanted to try it out.”

The sunflowers were easy in comparison to the entire wall. 

The Smiths moved to Warren County approximately two years ago with the goal of establishing a church. She is from Chattanooga and he’s from Gordonsville in Smith County. 

The garage is located on the corner of Towles Avenue and Fisher Street.