Britt Spencer elevates atmosphere at Hive Café with bold mural

Written by Colleen Miller, Photos by Kendra Frankle, Video by Tyler Rispoli

SCAD proudly has an expansive alumni network that spans the globe. On-campus, the university features their work at SCAD Art Sales, ShopSCAD and even in academic buildings. One of the most recent additions to this collection of alumni work can be viewed in the Café at the Hive. The colorful mural created by John “Britt” Spencer, SCAD alumnus and part-time illustration professor, was completed this summer.

Spencer graduated from SCAD in 2005 with a B.F.A. in illustration and began his career in commercial illustration. In the field, his ability to draw and communicate a story along with other skills he learned proved to be very useful. Eventually, though, Spencer felt his portfolio was not progressing. This realization led to a painting M.F.A. from SCAD in 2011.

Now, Spencer enjoys using narrative elements in his work but does not present them in a linear order. This allows the viewer to interpret the story for themselves. “I always like the narrative that makes mankind seem more humble, vulnerable so a lot of my work has people doing tasks that look like they don’t have complete control over,” Spencer said. Spencer has created visual narratives for a long list of clients. Some prominent names include: BBC, CBS Interactive, GQ, Puffin Books for Young Readers, Reader’s Digest, Saturday Evening Post and now SCAD.

The mural in the café is not the first of Spencer’s large-scale murals so he approached the project similar to other illustration commissions. With the goal of filling the space, he began to sketch boats and waves as thematic elements. After two sketches, the final mural began. Using a grid, Spencer was able to transfer his sketches from his iPad in Procreate to the wall. The transfer process took two days, but the entire painting process took close to five weeks. One week was entirely dedicated to stenciling the blue dots scattered throughout the mural, and more time was spent spontaneously painting the wall shared with the Hive Convenience Store. In the end, the café walls have been transformed into bold, colorful murals that invite SCAD students to explore the space creatively.

For those students looking to explore the world of freelance work, Spencer also has advice. “If you’re a SCAD student now, no sense in waiting until you graduate. You’re already in the race to becoming an artist,” Spencer said. “It’s a good time to be a student because it’s so easy to make contact with clients. Email is a standard form of communication so with no capital you can start marketing yourself.”

To learn more about Spencer’s other work, visit his website or Instagram.