Muralist takes on Takoma, now ready to tackle the rest of the country with his art

For five days last week, local artist Eric B. Ricks was working on a mural on the back side of 6925 Blair Road NW, a building that’s occupied by a liquor store and a small upstairs office. Ever since the park closed on nearby 4th Street, forcing out the few winos and neighborhood guys that hung out there to relocate, this little patch of land wedged between two roads and the train tracks has been their spot. Now, they have something nice to look at.

Ricks, who painted it as part of MuralsDC, a partnership between several public and non profit agencies including the District’s Department of Public Works, the DC Commission on the Arts and the Humanities, and Words Beats & Life Inc., says it represents what he thinks the world should really be about. “This particular piece is something near and dear to my heart. First of all it’s about empathy, love, passion. Things that I believe are the pillar of any healthy and driving, community,” Ricks, 38 explained Thursday. “The image of the little girl is my daughter. So, it’s kind of like a message in a bottle as well. Also, not just to the community, but also passing those words on to her, those higher aspirations, you know?

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