Location: 2219 2nd Avenue
Artist Statement 
(click to listen to the description)
This is where the artist statement is written
More information (click to listen to the description)
Sometimes the best art happens when a tight window of opportunity meets exactly the right person. Belltown Rainbird by Miami-based street artist HOXXOH is precisely that kind of happy accident — and one of the most talked-about works to come out of the Belltown Mural Festival.
HOXXOH was in Seattle for a show at Europa in Pioneer Square when festival organizers realized he had exactly 18 free hours on a Tuesday. One large, previously unmatched wall. One day. No budget to speak of. His response? Let’s do it.
The technique HOXXOH is known for involves a modified rainbow sprinkler — instead of water, compressed air blasts paint in elegant, sweeping arcs across the surface. It’s spectacular to watch and nerve-wracking to execute: there are no do-overs. That risk showed up immediately when the first blast landed wrong in the upper right corner, producing a moment loud enough for the whole neighborhood to hear. But HOXXOH cleaned it up, found his rhythm, and by the end of Tuesday the wall was transformed.
Originally expected to go full Miami palette, he surprised everyone by landing on cool Pacific Northwest blues — and somehow it feels exactly right against a north-facing Belltown wall, protected from direct sun and elevated enough to stay clean for years to come.
Two neighboring property owners watched their anxiety turn to pure excitement as the piece emerged. That shared experience — trust, risk, and delight — is really what Rainbird is about.
Back to the Belltown Murals: map, overview web page