The mural on Sake2ME, a sushi restaurant in Hays, KS is over 54 feet long and 9 feet tall! The mural depicting a dragon swimming through water and a tiger hunting is, not one to miss!
While I was home for the weekend I decided to check out a couple of the new mural projects that are happening in Hays! These murals are part of Brush the Bricks a Downtown Hays project bringing art to businesses and buildings in the area.
The mural is located on the east side of the Sake2Me building. Located at 803 Fort, this mural measures over 54 feet long, and 9 feet tall and was the second piece painted by Matt Miller. Sake2Me is a local Japanese sushi restaurant, but the muralists hope to symbolize the connection between China and Hays through the Sister Cities program and Fort Hays State University.
The mural was painted in 2022 and the ancient symbols of the tiger and dragon are significant in Asian Culture, the Chinese Zodiac and are parts of the Yin and Yang. A Tiger in Chinese Mythology is a symbol of the land and the dragon is a symbol of water and the heavens above.
Brush the Bricks is a project by Downtown Hays bringing art to the area. Check out all the murals next time you are in Hays, KS!
Miller's mural depicts the dragon swimming through most of the mural and the tiger hunting at the far end. According to Miller, the dragon is a culmination of various dragons he came across in his research, the coloring is based on the ring-necked peasant, which also originated in China. One of the things I love most about this mural is how the texture of the stone behind it adds a 3D element to the piece. It is a mural you definitely do not want to miss next time you are in Hays, KS!
It is so fun to see the murals coming along in Downtown Hays, for a list of upcoming and current murals can be found here!
