Chicago murals: Philly artist's fantastical bat adorns Lincoln Square garage seen from Brown Line

Philadelphia artist Kristin Scholz has one public mural in Chicago, which can be found in a Lincoln Square alley on her best friend’s garage door.

“She just wanted color on her house,” says Scholz, who also painted her friend’s back deck and fence. But it’s the garage door she painted in 2022 that’s visible from the CTA Brown Line traveling north from the Western Avenue station, before it reaches Rockwell. The home is on the south side of the L tracks near the corner of West Leland and North Campbell avenues.

But the homeowner, who asked to remain anonymous and declined to comment for the story, also saw the project as publicity for her friend.

This garage mural by artist Kristin Scholz is visible from from the Brown Line traveling north from the Western Avenue station, before it reaches Rockwell.

Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times

“Her whole idea was, ‘My garage door faces the train. It would be great visibility,’” says Scholz, who goes by the artist name Sea of Doom. Her friend had been sending her the Sun-Times’ Murals and Mosaics stories for years.

So, says Scholz, she obliged.

“I wanted it to pop for her, something that would be bold and seen from the train,” she says. “It’s made to stick out and be noticed.”

Scholz spray painted her signature bat onto the two-car garage door in shades of pink and purple with a background in shades of teal and white.

At first glance, it’s not obvious that the image is a bat. Its bulbous eyes appear to almost pop out of its head, while its white fangs shine in front of its red and pink tongue. Its wings are striped in shades of pink and purple, like the Cheshire Cat’s tail in Disney’s “Alice in Wonderland” movie. Its ears are shiny red like lipstick, and something that resembles the front of a tiara with a centered heart jewel rises from its nose.

With the teal background, the bat could be flying through twilight or swimming through water, with twinkling lights behind her.

Scholz says she and the homeowner have known each other since Scholz was 5 and grew up together outside of Philadelphia. The homeowner moved to Chicago as an adult, and remains one of Scholz’s best friends and biggest supporters.

Scholz likes to paint bats in all kinds of wild color palates. She has made versions of the bat into embroidered patches, prints, T-shirts and more.

“They turn into these alien bats,” she says. “All my bats are fantastical.”

Artist Kristin Scholz painted a mural on a garage in an alley between West Leland and West Eastwood avenues.

Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times

Scholz works full time as a multi-disciplinary artist and right now is working on a stained-glass piece, an indoor project as the weather turns cold. She also paints murals, embroiders, creates merchandise design and more.

“I do anything and everything I can. I want to create all the items,” she says. “It’s an addiction.”

As for whether she’ll paint again in Chicago, Scholz says she hopes so.

“I love Chicago. I try and go out once or twice a year. It’s a super easy flight from Philly.”

Artists Miguel Del Real and Diske Uno painted a celebration of Mexican culture, history and spirituality.