Courtney Chapman’s “Coneflower” Mural at Thistle Patch Vintage Garden and Antiques
Courtney Chapman is a local Huntington artist who has spent many years visiting and shopping in Central City. In 2026, she was one of eight artists selected to create a mural as part of the Central City Quilt Trail Reimagined project, and now gets to see her artwork on display every time she visits 14STW. “Coneflower,” which is now on view on the Thistle Patch Vintage Garden & Antiques building, is a contemporary take on traditional barn quilts. Mounted on wood panels and framed, the painting uses vibrant, synthetic colors while capturing the natural world. Courtney shared more about her process and her inspiration.
Courtney has been creating art for more than 20 years, with a specialty in ceramics, sculpture, and mixed media. She said that the opportunity to work big, create public art, and be trained to work with polytab is what drew her to the project.
When asked what inspired the design, Courtney shared that “Coneflower” references the past and present, and gives a nod to the future. “When designing this piece, I wanted to honor the current business, Thistle Patch Patch Vintage Garden and Antiques, and learned they would be welcoming a Garden Center the same summer the mural would be installed,” Courtney shared. “This garden center would hope to include medicinal plants, something that I found incredibly interesting considering the building's historical drug store, CA Hosey, was in the same location.”
Courtney said that she knew she wanted to approach the design with a medicinal plant, such as Echinacea, with nods to the building's original tile and fabric from the same era. “With that, I wanted to include more contemporary color schemes to ensure it felt like my own and would be visible against the brick wall,” she added.
Courtney shared that this project allowed her to gain knowledge and work in ways she has never had the opportunity to do before. “I loved using my entire body to paint the mural on the polytab,” Courtney said. “The installation was incredible because of the sense of community that vibrated through the district as teams worked to get each mural up,” she added.
Courtney would like to give a big thank you to everyone who played a part in making this project happen, from grant writing to installing, photographing, and writing about the works installed. She shared that the “best way to learn about someone is to talk with them and ask questions.” Feel free to contact Courtney and learn more about her artist journey by emailing [email protected]
See “Coneflower” on display at Thistle Patch Vintage Garden & Antiques at 444 W. 14th Street, Huntington, WV. Learn more about the Central City Quilt Trail and other artists involved with the project by visiting the project page online.
