You may have recently heard or read about the new Fairhope Art Alley that’s being created between the public parking garage and the rear of the buildings lining the north side of Fairhope Avenue behind Bone and Barrel, Sage Restaurant, the Eastern Shore Chamber of Commerce, among other establishments. The alley has always been there, and the city is just dressing it up to make it more user-friendly.

The purpose of this is to enhance the alley experience and to encourage people who visit downtown to utilize the free parking garage and help improve the current lack of parking. They’ve even added a nice public restroom near the Church Street entrance. Artist Hannah Legg played a huge role by painting murals on the back of buildings, and Bruce Larson is adding sculptures as well. Talk about turning lemons into lemonade!

Hannah Legg was an international baby moving from Miami to Italy, and then to New Orleans before settling in Fairhope at 6 years old. “I’m as Fairhopian as you can be without being born here,” she says. “It’s a pretty great place to grow up!”

Her dad, George Legg, works with Lloyd’s Register of Shipping in Mobile. What does that mean? He is a lead provider of classification and compliance services to the marine and offshore industries. Sounds important. In layman's terms, he’s a marine assessor. “His job is so precise, it’s fascinating to me. As an artist, it’s a whole other world.” 

So, where did her artistic talent come from? Hannah credits her grandfather, who was a watercolorist, printmaker (creating reliefs from cut tiles and carved wood), and landscape portraiture. “My grandparents are from Great Britain and my grandfather was a classically trained artist. He was an art teacher and did a little bit of everything. He would make custom Birthday and Christmas cards every year for my siblings and me and we still have them.”

Hannah says that as a child, she was always drawing with pencil and paper. “My grandfather was a very early influence, and my parents were always supportive of my interest in art. I never wrapped my mind about making a career out of it until I went to SCAD for college in Savannah, Georgia.

Hannah was also a competitive swimmer and says, “Even more than being an artist, I wanted to be a swimmer. It was my life and I loved it.” She swam for Fairhope High School’s swim team for four years and was co-captain her Senior year. She was inducted into the FHS Swimming Hall of Fame earlier this Fall. In fact, her whole family were swimmers. Hannah’s sister, Helen Legg, was the Alabama State Champion Diver for four years running.

When it came time to choose a college, her mother, Francessca, a 20+-year fitness instructor herself, convinced her to check out the Savannah College of Art and Design. “I promise you will like it,” she told Hannah. “They were the only art school that had a swim team,” said Hannah. That’s a big reason I visited and fell in love immediately.” She was offered a full-ride scholarship as a swimmer. “I just wanted to swim,” which she did all four years.

She tells me her time at SCAD was terrific. “It was an amazing experience. Savannah is a great city. You can’t throw a stone without hitting a ghost. Lots of history. The professors make you fall in love with whatever you are studying.” Hannah majored in Illustration with a minor in costume design. “My mother went to theater school in London so that piqued my interest. I made incredible friends. It was pretty ideal.”

When she graduated, she didn’t know what she wanted to do. “That part of my structured life ended, and it was weird.” She came home to Fairhope and started serving at Sunset Pointe for Panini Pete and Nick Dimario, worked a minute at the Grand Hotel, and was a bartender at The Supper Club for a bit. “Pete asked me to paint a mermaid mural on the chalkboard at Sunset Pointe, and that kicked off my mural painting.”

She painted a few more murals at Pete’s restaurants and began doing freelance graphic design, and her reputation as an artist began to grow. After two years at Sunset Pointe, she went to work with Jam Group Studio, a boutique marketing company. “I loved it! One day I’m doing work with a tree removal company, and the next day I'm working on a CBD store marketing project. It was a super creative environment and I loved the variation and responsibility.” 

I asked Hannah what it’s like to paint murals. “I thought I was going to struggle but the same principles of doing illustrations apply to murals as well.“ I got up on that ladder and never looked back. It’s very physical, which I like.” Her mural commissions are increasing every year. 

“Mural painting is much more structured for me. I charge by the square foot, including supplies. It depends on the detail of the mural, where it’s located, and the surface of the wall. Smoother is better.” For the Fairhope Art Alley, she became a Certified Boom and Scissor Lift Operator. “I found a course in Pensacola. My boyfriend, Jesse, and I both took the course. I figured if I was going to be up off the ground, I needed to know how to run the equipment.”

Jesse is the bar manager at Sunset Pointe and has won several awards as a mixologist. They’ve been together for seven years. “He loves music, is super chill, and is logical. We balance each other out,” she says. 

Hannah’s brother, who is also an artist, mostly does digital artwork and clothing patterns, and he does some work with Bruce Larson. Her sister, Helen Legg, is a fashion designer in Florence, Alabama. Hannah says the family is “super close, crazy creative, and very athletic.” Her parents asked Jesse, “How are you going to audition for the family?’ when they became serious partners.

Hannah does have a part-time gig. She is an illustrator at Soiree Signatures Invitations and Stationary in Fairhope. “We do anything creative that walks through the door. It’s lots of fun.” Her art includes anything to do with weddings; invitations, crests, monograms, and even pet portraits. What do you do in your free time, I ask? “I draw.”

If you are interested in having Hannah paint a mural, the process takes about two weeks to conceptualize and finalize the plan. Tell her what you are thinking, and she will brainstorm a bit, rough out some sketches, and send a summary of her thoughts with a proposal with rough pricing. “I prepare a mood board digitally, refine the sketches to get exactly what the client wants, prep the surface, and go to work.”

The Fairhope Art Ally took about 24 days to complete. She loves doing wildlife, and jellyfish are her favorite things in the world. She loved growing up in Fairhope and credits her early teachers for fostering her creativity. “The K-1 Center is a really special place.” She goes on to say, “We always knew Fairhope was going to grow. It’s a picturesque place, and growth is good, but how it’s done is important.” 

We agree! Hannah, you are a delight and we can’t wait to see more of your murals in the Scenic 98 Coastal area. You can connect with Hannah on Facebook, Instagram, and her website at Hannah Legg Art and Design.