Quick-Fire Quips is a speedy questionnaire where listeners and readers get to know people who stand out in the state of Alabama. In this episode, Alabama Public Radio host Baillee Majors interviews Huntsville native, muralist and founder of Honey Blood Mural Company, Jessie Andrews.
Baillee: Hey, Jessie!
Jessie: Hi, good to talk with you!
Baillee: Absolutely, happy you're here. How many murals would you say you've created around the city of Huntsville?
Jessie: Public? I would say 13.
Baillee: Can you tell me two or three mural locations in Huntsville?
Jessie: One that people go to a lot is on Chandelier Alley behind this restaurant called Phat Sammy’s, in this little alleyway next to 106 Jefferson Hotel, and that's a three-story Chandelier. Then, Celestial Symphony, which is off of Holmes (Ave).
Then I have several utility boxes that I painted around Big Spring Park. Right now, I'm working on one that's 9000 square feet, and it's off of Pratt (Ave) in Old Town Huntsville.
Baillee: Now that introductions are done, I'm going to get you warmed up to answer our questionnaire. To do that, I want you to say "Quick-Fire Quips" three times fast.
Jessie: Ok, Quick-Fire Quips, Quick-Fire Quips, Quick-Fire Quips!
Baillee: OK, there we go. Professional. Very nice (Jessie laughs). First question, what's the first word that comes to your mind when you hear Alabama?
Jessie: Southern upbringing. I mean, that's two. I don't know.
Baillee: Fair enough. Southern upbringing. Anything specific, like sweet tea or lemonade or front porch sitting?
Jessie: Yes, sweet tea, fishing and barbecue, river, WaveRunner, four wheeler, blackberry cobbler.
Baillee: Oh yeah! Heavy on the blackberry cobbler. Love it... Next question, whether it's a local restaurant, a bookstore, a boutique, a park, what is a hidden gem in Huntsville that more people should know about?
Jessie: Hmm. I really love Fresko's (Fresko Grille) at Stovehouse. My friend runs that restaurant. It's very, very good. It's a Mediterranean restaurant. A ton of people know about Papa Gyro's (Big Papa Gyro), but that's my absolute favorite.
Baillee: OK next question, what's a bad stereotype or something that people get wrong about Alabama?
Jessie: I was watching a documentary the other day, and they were referring to the Alabama-Mississippi area as people who don't have a lot going for them. I think that that is so untrue.
I'm obsessed with the South. I love living in Alabama, and there's so many intelligent people that I run into all the time who have a business or engineers. I just think the South is... you know, we're book smart, and we're also street smart, and we're laid back and easy going.
Baillee: Absolutely. Next question, if you could paint a mural anywhere, anywhere at all, where would you?
Jessie: Somewhere in Europe. Actually, any other safe country. I would love to start traveling through my murals.
Baillee: So, where's somewhere that you go a lot in Huntsville that's one of your favorite places?
Jessie: I really like The Closed Road on Monte Sano (State Park). It's just a beautiful hiking area. I think Monte Sano Mountain is so incredibly special, and I go there whenever I can.
Baillee: All right, do you have any superstitions or irrational fears?
Jessie: Yeah, I was thinking about this. When I'm swimming in a pool by myself, and I know for sure that there's nothing in there with me, I have such a fear that there's like something at the bottom of the pool that wants to touch my toes!
Baillee: Oh my gosh. What's something on your bucket list?
Jessie: Well, I guess, ironically, I really want to go scuba diving.
(Baillee and Jessie laugh)
Baillee: Well, I feel like you'd be a little bit more protected, though, like in the flippers and like the wetsuit and stuff like that.
Jessie: Right, and you have goggles on. So, you can look down and see whatever might be coming at you.
Baillee: All right, here's the last question. What does Alabama need?
Jessie: That is such a good question. What does Alabama need? We need to continue to have people who live here, who love it, who care about it, to care about giving it a good name, who care about investing into it and continuing to build cities, but also preserve natural countryside spaces.
I live in Huntsville. You know, Huntsville is this developing city that's so wonderful. But I also grew up at a summer house in the Elk River, which was so disconnected from all of that.
I like that about Alabama. There's so many different nooks that you can get into here, where it's cultured and and then country, and I think just keeping all that alive.
Baillee: That's it for today's Quick-Fire Quips, a speedy questionnaire where we get to know people who stand out in the State of Alabama.
That was Huntsville native, muralist and founder of Honey Blood Mural Company, Jessie Andrews. I'm your host, Baillee Majors.
Keep connected with Jessie on Facebook and Instagram. Other works of art created by her include:
- Good Fortune at MidCity
- The World is Your Oyster at Sea Salt
- A logo at Honest Coffee’s new Madison location
- Michelob Ultras with personality at The Orion
- Plus several of smaller-scale murals and logo paintings at local businesses
Don't forget to check out Alabama Public Radio on Facebook and Instagram for more Quick-Fire Quips!
Local support is provided by JMF Technologies. Check out the company on Facebook and Instagram.
