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Artist Patrick Kirwin starts his biggest mural yet in Alexandria

By James Cullum
Older man wearing glasses sits on yellow scaffold painting a red brick wall with a paintbrush and roller while blue siding is visible nearby.
Two workers repainting the exterior of an orange brick building; a blue patch is being painted above a doorway, with paint cans and scaffolding on the ground nearby
Outdoor art project: a large mural of a brick building taped to the ground with blue painter's tape; painter's tray and brushes in the foreground.
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Muralist Patrick Kirwin is at it again in Alexandria.

Kirwin recently started work painting a large new mural behind The Birchmere (3701 Mount Vernon Avenue) in Alexandria’s Arlandria neighborhood. The work will feature generations of builders in the city and was commissioned by Rust Construction, a fourth-generation, Alexandria-based home remodeling firm.

“Their concept was to show three guys working in the Revolutionary War-period, a World War II guy and a contemporary worker,” Kirwin told ALXnow. “I’m not exactly sure of the dimensions, but this is the biggest mural I’ve ever done.”

With help from his assistant Gely Amaya, Kirwin started the mural this week and expects to finish it later this month.

“It’s exciting and fun to work on a project like this and for people to see it,” Kirwin said. “It will go well along with the other murals in front of The Birchmere.”

The mural is expected to be finished later this month, and Kirwin said that a ribbon cutting will soon be announced.

Kirwin is married and has two children and moved to the area in 1984 to get his master’s degree at The George Washington University. He also taught at the Corcoran School of Art and Design, the Smithsonian, and the Workhouse Arts Center in Lorton.

Kirwin’s other murals in Alexandria include the Dogs of Del Ray mural (2309 Mount Vernon Avenue), a mural of George Washington outside Union Street Public House (121 S. Union Street) in Old Town and pet portraits at From Head to Tail Spa (430 Hume Avenue) in Del Ray.

About the Author

  • Reporter James Cullum has spent nearly 20 years covering Northern Virginia. He began working with ALXnow in 2020, and has covered every story under the sun for the publication, from investigative stories to features and photo galleries. His work includes coverage of national and international situations, as well as from the White House, Capitol, Pentagon, Supreme Court and State Department. He's covered protests and riots throughout the U.S. (including the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol), in addition to earthquake-ridden Haiti, Western Sahara in North Africa and war-torn South Sudan. He has photographed presidents and other world leaders, celebrities and famous musicians, and excels under pressure.