Epic Mural at the West End Plaza in Clermont, FL

Posted on by The Wandering Art Historian

As you know, last week’s post featured a fantastic new mural located in the heart of Clermont, Florida’s Historic Downtown district. My thanks to a member of the local community for reaching out to me to let me know about another new mural in the Clermont area!

The West End Plaza (formerly known as the Galleria at Soma) recently celebrated its grand reopening after a bit of remodeling and rebranding. The most striking aspect of this newly reinvigorated space is the incredible mural that runs the entire length of the building!

Created by Tampa artist, Claudia Mattias, this large scale artwork pays tribute to Clermont’s past in a contemporary way. The bold color choice keeps the look thoroughly modern, but the sketchy depictions of Clermont’s most recognizable icons are a creative nod to Lake County’s nostalgia and history.

The choice to recreate Clermont’s signature attributes as “illustrations” is in direct contrast to the hard lines, geometric shapes and use of diagonals that fill out the composition. It is a lot of space to cover (!) and the artist does so by expertly balancing the “illustrations” with the geometric shapes and diagonal lines, resulting in a large scale work that is inviting, exciting and captivating.

Also, it should be noted that the artist pays exceptional attention to detail. I absolutely love the athletes painted in motion, as if they are zooming along the South Lake Trail or rowing furiously across Lake Minneola.

The West End Plaza is located at 821 West Minneola Avenue in Clermont, FL. For more information on their shops, restaurants and events, please find the West End Plaza on Facebook and Instagram.

To learn more about artist Claudia Mattias, please follow her on Instagram at claudia.mattias.

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I am writer and artist with a degree in art history who loves to talk to people about art. I have spent the last seven years building up The Wandering Art Historian “brand” as a way to connect with people who want to learn more about art. I give lectures and presentations and teach classes and host book club discussions with a creative or artistic connection. I also write about local artists, events, museums, and exhibitions to promote the arts in Central Florida. In 2021, I had a creative crisis. I struggled with authenticity in the art making process. I decided to make myself vulnerable and find out what a real, genuine Adrienne H. Lee artwork would look like. The process was challenging and emotional and revelatory. I learned that if necessity is the mother of invention, then authenticity is the mother of reinvention. I reinvented myself and learned an entirely new medium. The resulting artwork surprised me, and it will surprise you, too. Some people wish for a fairytale ending. For me, the fairy tale is only the beginning.