200 Dogs on Waiting List for New ‘Dogs of Del Ray’ Mural, Officially Opening on May 6

ALEXANDRIA, VA–Coming in May, the North wall of Stomping Ground will be canvassed with the faces of the furry friends of Del Ray. The Dogs of Del Ray mural, envisioned by Pat Miller, and being painted by artist Patrick Kirwin, is a tribute to the friendly nature of the community.

For $50 each, residents of Del Ray could submit a photo of their dog to Pat Miller, which Patrick would then bring to life in the mural. Submissions are no longer open—There are about 200 dogs currently on the waitlist. For each submission, Patrick is painting the face and name of each dog.

“I am trying to work out the essence of each dog. Are they cute and funny? Are they happy?” explains Patrick.

Patrick has fun with the mural, recalling his inner child with high school techniques of shadowing, and implementing little hidden jokes throughout the mural, like one dog, Floyd, whose name Patrick painted in pinklettering. Get it?

Patrick started painting the mural back in March, and nearly half the wall is already complete. There are now so many dogs included in the mural that Patrick will soon need scaffolding to reach the top.

He plans to cover the entire wall of Stomping Ground as high as he can go, crowning the mural with a large arch that reads “The Dogs of Del Ray,” and including an arrow in the bottom right, which points the way to Stomping Ground.

Throughout April, you can see Patrick outside Stomping Ground working on the mural. You might even recognize a few furry friends.

MORE ABOUT PATRICK KIRWIN: Cover Story, “Painting the Town”