Downtown OWA Mural | Foley, Alabama
Alabama mural artist Banks Compton created this colorful outdoor mural for Downtown OWA in Foley, Alabama, as a playful celebration of wildlife, outdoor recreation, and family experiences on Alabama's Gulf Coast.
Designed to be approachable and engaging for children and families, the mural transforms native and familiar animals into a cast of adventurous characters. Raccoons, a pelican, manatee, alligator, turtle, deer, great blue heron, and butterfly travel through the composition while enjoying activities ranging from hot-air ballooning and kayaking to cycling.
Rather than simply illustrating local attractions, Banks imagined what might happen if Alabama's wildlife could experience the adventures themselves.
Alabama Wildlife Takes an Adventure at OWA
Client: OWA
Location: Downtown OWA, Foley, Alabama
Artist: Banks Compton
Artwork: Exterior Wraparound Mural
Theme: Wildlife, Outdoor Recreation & Family Adventure
Featured Activities: Hot-Air Ballooning, Kayaking & Cycling
Interactive Element: Butterfly-Wing Photo Opportunity
Additional Experience: Animated Projection Overlay
Completed: 2025
Project at a Glance
Inspired by OWA and Outdoor Adventure
The activities depicted throughout the mural connect the artwork to experiences associated with OWA, Foley, and outdoor recreation along Alabama's Gulf Coast.
Hot-air balloons reference OWA's balloon festivities, while kayaking and cycling introduce other ways families can explore and enjoy the outdoors.
Instead of presenting these activities literally, Banks used animal characters to make them unexpected.
A manatee riding in a hot-air balloon, an alligator paddling a kayak, or a great blue heron riding a bicycle gives children something humorous to discover while still connecting the imagery to the environment and experiences surrounding them.
A Cast of Adventurous Animals
The mural is built around a collection of animal characters, each participating in its own adventure.
Raccoons and a manatee float overhead in hot-air balloons. An alligator paddles through the water in a yellow kayak with a turtle joining the journey. Nearby, a deer and great blue heron ride bicycles through a green landscape.
Each character was designed with its own personality, turning the wall into a story that children can follow as they move through the space.
The playful approach reflects Banks' interest in using animals as characters—combining recognizable wildlife with imagination, humor, and movement to create scenes that appeal to both children and adults.
Designed for Children and Families
From the beginning, the mural was intended to be approachable for families.
Bright colors, large characters, recognizable animals, and exaggerated movement allow children to understand the imagery immediately, while smaller details reward visitors who spend more time looking at the artwork.
The mural becomes less like a static background and more like an illustrated story unfolding across the wall.
That sense of discovery is intentional. Banks often uses animals, nature, and storytelling to create public artwork that gives younger viewers an immediate way into the image. 2023.
An Interactive Butterfly Photo Spot
As the mural wraps around the corner of the building, a large butterfly creates an interactive photo opportunity.
Visitors can position themselves with the painted wings behind them, becoming part of the artwork and creating their own photographs from the mural.
The feature gives families another way to interact with the piece rather than simply viewing it from a distance.
For a destination like OWA, interactive elements like this can also extend the reach of public artwork through family photographs and social media.
Bringing the Mural to Life at Night
In 2025, the mural became the backdrop for an entirely new experience during OWA's holiday tree-lighting celebration.
Projected animation was layered directly over the existing artwork, temporarily transforming the painted mural into an animated nighttime attraction.
Moving imagery—including Santa's sleigh flying through the scene—interacted with the permanent painted composition.
The projection allowed the physical mural to remain unchanged while digital imagery created a temporary second version of the artwork after dark.
For visitors who had already experienced the mural during the day, the nighttime projection offered a completely different way to see it.
From Permanent Mural to Seasonal Experience
The projection demonstrates another possibility for large-scale public artwork: a permanent mural can become a canvas for temporary events and seasonal programming.
During the day, the OWA mural functions as a colorful piece of public art and family photo destination.
At night or during special events, projection can add movement, seasonal imagery, and new storytelling without altering the original painting.
That flexibility allows the artwork to continue evolving long after the mural itself is completed.
About Banks Compton
Banks Compton is an Alabama mural artist and RISD alumnus creating large-scale murals and public art throughout Alabama and across the United States.
His work frequently combines nature, storytelling, local culture, and site-specific imagery. Animals and landscapes are recurring subjects, often transformed through bright color, expressive movement, and imaginative situations.
Banks works with tourism destinations, cities, libraries, businesses, schools, institutions, and community organizations to create artwork designed specifically for the people and places that experience it.
Looking for a Mural Artist in Foley or Alabama's Gulf Coast?
Banks creates custom murals and public art for tourism destinations, family attractions, businesses, cities, institutions, and public spaces throughout Foley, Baldwin County, Alabama's Gulf Coast, and communities across the state.
Projects can incorporate local wildlife, history, recreation, community stories, interactive photo opportunities, and other imagery developed specifically for the location.
