For Local Muralist Ben Harrison, Life Is Larger Than Life

By Chuck Keller, Contributor

One of the first things you notice when you enter the Comal restaurant on North Fort Thomas Avenue is the mural. It’s a colorful display of Mexican characters – Day of the Dead musicians, Frida Kahlo, Poncho Villa, farmers working the field by hand, colorful sky reminiscent of the magical realism of Mexican literature, and a pyramid from an ancient civilization. Every time I see it, which is often, I see something new or I see something in a different light. Art has that ability to wow the senses. We ask lots of questions about it and we return to see what else we see. 

When I asked Michael Messmer, the owner of Comal, about the mural, he said that the artist lived upstairs. And sure enough a few days later I met Ben Harrison and we have been chatting ever since. Then I saw another piece he did in the ‘Wich Doctor sandwich shop in Newport. And then another on the outside wall of that building. The mural for Klosterman Bakery is reminiscent of the murals in Union Terminal that celebrate the trades that made the city. Each mural bursts with saturated color and drama. 

We got together for coffee at the Hidden Chapter one morning to discuss large-scale art techniques, the role of public art, his journey, and more. It was a quick 90 minutes. 

People come to their career choices in interesting ways. Some take a direct path while others take a winding, looping path.  Those people have interesting stories. And that is Ben Harrison or Zaxerl as he is known in the mural art world.

Harrison has only lived in that  art community for a handful of years now but he is doing quite well.  Harrison predicted my question, “How did I end up here? Well, I’m a preacher’s kid and so we moved around a lot…. My mom took her degrees and became a registrar at colleges and universities. But we continued to move all over the place.” And each place influenced him. 

The last few moves, though, have been the result of his long time friendship with Chanda Calentine, Fort Thomas’ economic developer, since their shared time in New York City. That eventually led him to follow her to Asheville and then to Fort Thomas. Both of them are honing their skills in their respective fields. While in New York he lived with a group of artists and that energy and creativity made an impression.  Their career paths and opportunities just seemed to be on similar paths.

Harrison didn’t set out to be a professional artist. He worked in the restaurant industry but he was always working on his art, drawing or painting. One day he was offered a chance to paint scenery for a theatrical production. He had never painted anything on that large a scale before and he thought “It probably should be fun.” And it was. He graduated to larger sets and even did some set design. He even acted.

Harrison says, “Murals were just beginning to emerge” as a public art form at that time. “It was weird to me that I could paint these huge, large things quicker than when I finished a small painting.…” This felt natural and “there was a whole different sense of pride that happened with these large scale things,” he said. Many muralists were moving to Asheville. It was there where he learned how to use spray paint. He has been using a brush before that. Then COVID hit so he used that time to focus on skill development. He said, “I went out to my back shed, put up pieces and kind of fooled around with spray paint …I remember the first mural I spray painted. It’s still one of my favorite murals.” He smiled with that memory. 

Then he discovered an artist on YouTube who did not speed up a video to showcase his mural designs and processes. Harrison claimed it was a 20-hour video and that he watched every minute engrossed in the details and techniques.  That’s a deep rabbit hole for anyone, but it was at this time that he knew that he would paint murals for a living. 

He laughed when he recalled how he painted a few murals in his house as practice, then photographed them and told people he did them for others in order to get work. But he was becoming a muralist. And he found work. He has pieces in Covington, Newport, and iCincinnati, and around the country. There are more in the pipeline. 

People often want to know how he lays out such a large design. Does he project an image on the wall or use a grid of sorts? The answer is yes to both. He has used a projector but he primarily uses a unique grid pattern that he calls a doodle. The doodle is widely known and used in the muralist community but Harrison said,  “when I was trying to find out it was a hidden secret. And I would even ask other muralists like what are you doing there? Some use random numbers or whatever. It’s meant to be a guide for mural lines.” 

The doodle would appear to be graffiti to someone who did not know. The design varies according to the demands of the piece. It may include words, numbers, symbols, swirls, or angles. Then using his computer Harrison places the design over the doodle and lowers the transparency of the piece until all of the squiggles can be seen underneath. Then he can see the connecting points. The more detailed the mural, the more detailed the doodle. It’s a clever way to lay out large designs. 

Harrison adds that in a way, “I’m also warning a community that something is in progress. And I also try to write in a lot of words that might be relevant to the subject matter. I have one coming up of a big American flag so it (the doodle) will include words like freedom and flag.”   

You can view the scope of his work on his Instagram page (Zaxerl). His pieces are saturated with color and subjects that draw the viewer in.  There is even a video of the Comal mural being created. 

I asked Harrison about the value of public art. He said, “There’s a lot of value.” That value can also depend on the city and the setting. “If you’re a business owner, it can draw more people to your place, you know,” he said. And murals are Instagram and Tick Tock friendly and that motivates people and can help drive business. 

A number of his pieces are in underserved areas. He said that, “People come up to you and are, like, thank you for making this area beautiful because people feel like they’re forgotten in those areas.“ The neighborhood takes pride that someone is installing art in their neighborhood. It often becomes a point of pride as well as a destination point.

He has been painting a mural on the wall along the road at the old Northgate Mall. He said that people honk and shout their approval as they drive by. “That was a revelation for me,” he said. Residents noticed how he used their history in the murals.

He said, “I have a job that makes everybody happy. I can bring some light” to an underserved area or highlight the history of an area or even help make a place a destination. Murals are fun to showcase to out of town visitors. In fact, Cincinnati has a mural tour that is pretty popular. 

We spoke during commencement season so I asked him what he would tell graduates. He paused for a moment and then said that he would encourage people to find and follow their passion.  He said, “Find it. It’s never too late. And as long as you fulfill your passion and can work your passion, you’re not working…. I work harder at painting than anything I’ve ever done in my entire life, you know? But I’m doing what I love, you know.” 

“And experimenting. And be open. You got to be open to try new things, you know.You have to take a leap.”  Good advice. 

You can see another Zaxerl creation on the wall in the parking lot behind the Hiland Theater building or you can view his work on Instagram.