You may not know his name, but if you've traveled on Long Street through the King Lincoln neighborhood on the east side of Columbus you've seen his work. Muralist Jeff Abraxas died Thursday after a brief illness. He was 39 years old.
Abraxas painted the first mural on his own, using images from the neighborhood's rich musical tradition and African American heritage. Then others commissioned him to create murals on buildings they owned.
A makeshift memorial for Abraxas has gone up at Garfield and Long near the recently renovated Lincoln Theater. John Waddy owns the building and spoke about the images Abraxas created:
"To enjoy the Lincoln you have to go inside the doors," Waddy says. "To enjoy the art that Jeff Abraxas did, you could be in your car, you could be walking, you could be anywhere, to enjoy his art,. There was no fee to enjoy his art, it was open to the community. It was everything that the community wanted and that would be part of the revitalization of the area."
To see some of the murals Jeff Abraxas created, visit WOSU.org
