For Grandma
- Artist
- Jeremy Nichols
- Location
- 119 South Duke Street, York, PA
Completed in 2025, artist Jeremy Nichols said this piece serves as a “semi-tribute” to his grandmother.
The Japan-born artist’s American grandmother, who was from upstate New York, is represented through a cardinal seen in the mural.
“I always remember all the cardinal decorations everywhere in my grandparents house,” Nichols said. “I always wanted to paint one for her, so this seemed like the perfect opportunity. Every time I see one it reminds me of her, and being a little kid running around her house.”
The artist also added a ‘red rising sun’ in the piece to subtly represent his Japanese grandmother.
“The rest of the mural is abstract, creating a colorful playfulness,” Nichols said. “I had a loose idea of what the mural would look like, but I just made it up as I went and just had fun playing around, sort of like I would as a kid running around his grandma’s house. This was intended to give the mural dimension, movement, and to create a “pattern” like feel when the viewer is up close. From afar, the bird(s) appear calm, looking out over the chaos, like how our mothers and grandmothers look out for us in a crazy world.”
Photos by Landon Wise.
The Artist
Jeremy Nichols
Jeremy was born in Tokyo, Japan, and grew up in Columbus, Ohio where he received a BFA with a focus on printmaking from Ohio State University. He has been a working studio and mural artist in Portland, OR for the past 16 years. His early history in street art led him to start painting murals early in his career (2003). Since then, this has allowed him to travel around the United States and abroad, painting murals of all shapes and sizes, and collaborations with amazing artists.