The Happy Artist: Behind the Mural at Hattie Jane’s Creamery
Matt Jenkins, Murfreesboro mural 2022
Matt Jenkins is the artist behind the 'Ice Cream Makes Me Happy' mural that decorates our whimsical and southern ice cream parlor wall. Matt is an absolute treasure, so sitting down to discuss how this masterpiece came to life was a real treat.
It began with a conversation with Claire (owner of Hattie Jane's) and Matt, long-time friends in the restaurant industry, on how to drum up inspiration for the piece. "At the time, we knew Hattie Jane's favorite colors were the shades of coral pink and mint you see in the branding," Matt says, so that seemed like a great place to start. Claire wanted something that was nostalgic and distinctly Southern.
Matt Jenkins and Claire Crowell in Columbia Tennessee during mural painting project 2023
"Matt read my mind and nailed it right off the bat with the sunburst rays which I have always loved in Hatch-style concert posters growing up here in Tennessee," Claire shared.
The first canvas was the Murfreesboro wall, which Matt promptly deemed a little wonky, but once the sketch was approved, Matt soon went to work. Working his artist magic, the wonky wall is now a wondrous, colorful background for our outdoor seating area. Guests now come to Murfreesboro, enjoying the art and ice cream, taking pictures of it, and it makes us very happy.
Rightfully so, since Jenkins sketched this design to symbolize happiness, the way 'Makes Me Happy" is lined up as a smiling curve. Standing there in the middle of the waffle cone for a photo is meant to portray 'Ice Cream Makes (whoever is in the photo) Happy," Matt beams proudly. There was a purpose for every small detail, and that's what we love about it. Claire loved it so much she wanted it to become part of the brand, so we began the process of moving the mural onto our walls at our flagship location in Columbia, Tennessee.
This project was ten times the size, covering one giant wall of the shop to the other. Scaffolding and proper equipment were bought, and Matt went to work. Honeycomb is even the ice cream paint color in the waffle cone to symbolize one of our top-selling flavors. If you know, you know. It turned out phenomenal, and we are so honored to be displaying the artwork in our shops. The image is now being added to merchandise which will be sold in store and online.
"There's some true blue Americana stuff going on [at Hattie Jane's Creamery], and I love that she's massaging those memories, and now we get to relive them." - Matt Jenkins
Come on down and snap a photo in front of the happy mural yourself... just don't forget to tag us @hattiejanescreamery!
