A HORSE OF A DIFFERENT COLOR. Artist Sean Davis is behind the new mural found outside 22 Chevaux, a handcrafted furniture shop at 215 S. Dewey St. in downtown Eau Claire.

When Sean Davis was asked to paint a mural, he didn’t have a plan. Aside from a basic concept idea, Davis painted whatever came to his mind.

With help from Will Jannusch, co-owner of 22 Chevaux, Sean Davis painted downtown Eau Claire’s newest mural in just longer than a week. “Will told me to have at it,” Davis said. “So I had at it.”

Surrounded by a plethora of vivid mural paint, Davis mapped out lines with painters tape to assist him in creating straight lines. He and his paintbrush were hard at work in the nights leading up to the July 29 reveal party. Over the course of the week, Davis added more and more intricate details to the mural, finishing off the piece with some splatter effects in the background.

In French, chevaux means “horses.” 22 Chevaux sells handcrafted rocking horses among other items, thus inspiring the abstract horse as the mural’s focus.

The different elements making up the central horse figure are inspired by different parts of Davis’ life. Some of the names are tributes to close ones who have died. The word “NORCAL” on the horse’s leg represents where he came from: Northern California.

After looking at some of Davis’ previous work, Jannusch and his sister decided he would be right for the job. “This is what Eau Claire needs,” Jannusch said.

Davis’ mural combines the vivid color aspect of artist Molly Z’s mural across from the Oxbow Hotel and the variety of focal points from the Bon Iver mural on Farwell Street, yet it stands out among the outdoor artwork around the city. The neon paint is impossible to miss on top of the hill at 215 S. Dewey St.

The painting’s bright colors give life to the outside of 22 Chevaux, while the inside is already filled with its own creative craftsmanship.

22 Chevaux • 215 S. Dewey Street, Eau Claire