Breaking Down the Symbolism of My Virginia Beach Mural
One of my favorite things about creating art is hiding layers of meaning in plain sight.
Some of the symbols in this mural were chosen because they represent Virginia Beach. Others carry personal significance. The primary goal was simply to tell a story about the city. That said, as someone who spends a lot of time studying folklore, mythology, and spiritual traditions, I can't help but notice additional layers of symbolism hiding beneath the surface. Whether you view them through a historical, artistic, or magical lens, each symbol has a story to tell.
You don't need to know any of that to enjoy the mural.
But if you're curious, here's what's hidden inside.
Virginia Beach Side
Virginia Beach Lettering
Mundane Meaning:
The words "Virginia Beach" are painted in gothic lettering and positioned to face one of the busiest pedestrian routes near the Convention Center. I intentionally designed this side to be a photo opportunity and landmark.
Magical Meaning:
Names hold power. Naming a place is a way of honoring it. In many magical traditions, names are tied to identity, memory, and spirit.
Anchor
Mundane Meaning:
Virginia Beach has deep ties to maritime culture, the Navy, commercial shipping, and life on the water.
Magical Meaning:
Anchors symbolize stability, grounding, resilience, and staying steady during difficult times. In magical practice, they often represent remaining rooted while navigating uncertainty.
Strawberry
Mundane Meaning:
The strawberry is Virginia's official state fruit.
Magical Meaning:
Strawberries are associated with love, sweetness, abundance, friendship, and attracting good things into your life.
Strawberry work-in-progress photo
Cape Henry Lighthouse
Mundane Meaning:
The Cape Henry Lighthouse is one of Virginia Beach's most iconic landmarks and helped guide ships into the Chesapeake Bay.
Magical Meaning:
Lighthouses symbolize guidance, hope, safe passage, and finding your way through darkness.
Top
Virginia Skeleton Hands ("Two Up, Two Down")
Mundane Meaning:
A tribute to one of the most recognizable symbols of Virginia and local pride.
Magical Meaning:
Hands are powerful symbols of action, creation, and influence. Skeleton hands also acknowledge mortality and remind us that every generation leaves something behind.
Fishing Lure
Mundane Meaning:
Fishing is deeply woven into Virginia Beach culture, from recreational fishing to commercial industries.
Magical Meaning:
Lures are symbols of attraction and drawing opportunities toward yourself. In magical terms, they remind me of manifestation work—casting something out into the world and waiting for what returns.
Shell
Mundane Meaning:
A simple nod to the beaches and coastline that define the region.
Magical Meaning:
Shells represent protection, intuition, emotional wisdom, and the element of Water.
Marine Life Side
Randy the Pelican
Mundane Meaning:
Pelicans are a familiar sight throughout Coastal Virginia.
Magical Meaning:
Pelicans are often associated with resourcefulness, adaptability, and community.
Additional Lore:
His name is Randy and he's smirking because he definitely just pooped on somebody.
Flipper the Dolphin
Mundane Meaning:
Named after Flipper McCoy's, one of Virginia Beach's iconic arcades.
Magical Meaning:
Dolphins symbolize joy, communication, intelligence, and playfulness.
Havana the Stingray
Mundane Meaning:
Named after my niece.
Magical Meaning:
Stingrays represent grace, emotional awareness, adaptability, and moving through life with purpose rather than force.
Initial crab and stingray sketch done in chalk pen
757 Crab
Mundane Meaning:
The crab represents the Chesapeake Bay, local seafood culture, and the Hampton Roads area code hidden within the design.
Magical Meaning:
Crabs symbolize protection, resilience, boundaries, and knowing when to move sideways around an obstacle instead of directly through it.
Seahorse
Mundane Meaning:
A recognizable marine species found throughout coastal ecosystems.
Magical Meaning:
Seahorses symbolize patience, persistence, gentleness, and the balance between strength and flexibility.
Navy Side
Skull with Sailor Hat
Mundane Meaning:
Traditional sailor tattoo imagery and a nod to Virginia Beach's military and maritime culture.
Magical Meaning:
Skulls remind us of mortality, legacy, and living a meaningful life while we have the chance.
Sailor Lady
Mundane Meaning:
Inspired by classic American traditional tattoo art commonly associated with sailors and military communities.
Magical Meaning:
She represents independence, adventure, courage, and the people waiting at home for loved ones at sea.
Dagger and Rose
Mundane Meaning:
One of the most recognizable motifs in tattoo culture.
Magical Meaning:
The dagger represents protection, courage, and conflict. The rose represents beauty, love, and resilience. Together they symbolize the reality that life's most meaningful things often contain both pain and beauty.
Compass
Mundane Meaning:
Navigation has always been essential to life on the water.
Magical Meaning:
Compasses symbolize purpose, direction, and finding your path when life becomes uncertain.
Swallow
Mundane Meaning:
A classic sailor tattoo. Historically, sailors earned swallow tattoos based on miles traveled at sea.
Magical Meaning:
Swallows symbolize safe journeys, returning home, loyalty, and hope.
Star
Mundane Meaning:
Nautical stars have long been used as symbols of navigation.
Magical Meaning:
Stars represent guidance, destiny, inspiration, and finding light in darkness.
Ship
Mundane Meaning:
The ship serves as the centerpiece of the Navy side and represents Virginia Beach's connection to maritime history and naval culture.
Magical Meaning:
Ships symbolize journeys, exploration, freedom, and venturing into the unknown.
Rope Frame
Mundane Meaning:
A visual reference to maritime craftsmanship and nautical traditions.
Magical Meaning:
Knots and ropework symbolize connection, commitment, protection, and the bonds that tie people together.
HOLD FAST Knuckles
Mundane Meaning:
"Hold Fast" is a phrase deeply rooted in naval history, encouraging sailors to maintain their grip during rough seas.
Magical Meaning:
For me, this may be the most important symbol in the entire mural. Hold Fast is about perseverance. It's about continuing when things are difficult, uncertain, frustrating, or exhausting.
Which, honestly, feels like a fitting message for a first mural.
Final Thoughts
One of the things I love most about Virginia Beach is that every person experiences it a little differently.
For some people, it's the beach. For others, it's the military, the fishing industry, the wildlife, the local businesses, the tattoo culture, the history, or the memories they've built here over the years.
This mural isn't meant to be a complete representation of Virginia Beach. That would be impossible. Instead, it's a collection of symbols, stories, and influences that stood out to me while creating my first public mural.
Some of the meanings behind these images were intentional from the beginning. Others revealed themselves later. A few are rooted in local history, while others are personal references, inside jokes, or symbols that simply felt right for the piece.
At the end of the day, my favorite part of public art is that it no longer belongs entirely to the artist. Every person who walks past it brings their own experiences, memories, and interpretations with them.
So if you see something I didn't mention here, you're probably not wrong.
Art is a conversation, and this mural is my contribution to the ongoing story of Virginia Beach.
