Old School but Never Old Fashioned Mural

Details

Title:  Old School But Never Old Fashioned 

Artist:  Robert Opel 

Completed in: 2015 

Partner:  Legendz Classic Barbershop 

Old School But Never Old Fashioned 

Old School but Never Old Fashioned is more than a mural design or a tagline. It’s the realized dream of long-time barber Igancio “Nacho” Armijo, owner of Legendz Classic Barbershop. “Old-school barber shops are going extinct, and I don't want that,” said Armijo. “I want young people to get the same feel and experience that our dads and grandpas got in the good old days.” 

 Consequently, Legendz is as much museum as a great place to get a haircut. Collectible tools of the trade, plus classic advertisements and other memorabilia, are displayed artfully throughout the space. As you take your seat in a one-of-a-kind vintage barber’s chair, the homage continues. 

The Old School But Never Old Fashioned mural is a true collaboration between Armijo and artist Robert Opel. Not long after Legendz opened, Opel stopped by to check out the shop. Armijo recalls how the artist immediately understood the shop’s vision and offered to paint a mural on the building’s blank north-facing wall. 

Opel used typography and crisp iconography to represent the essence of a classic barbershop. With its two-toned color palette of brown and tan, the design evokes the sepia tones of old photographs. The only exception is the red, white, and blue barber pole. There, Opel used realistic detail to create a trompe-l’oeil illusion of three dimensions.   

About the Artist 

Robert Opel is an artist, muralist and arts educator known as much for his warm and easy-going personality as his wide-ranging talent.  

 According to an interview in Texas Catholic, Opel called growing up in his hometown of Windsor, Missouri as being like living in a Norman Rockwell painting, a place where everyone knew one another and lived a happy life. He spent a considerable amount of time on his grandparent’s farm where he learned to draw designs on the fabric his grandmother quilted.  

After his family moved to Texas, Opel became an Eagle Scout and later honed his artistic skills at the University of North Texas where he earned a bachelor’s degree in advertising art. In addition to his vibrant and varied career as a commercial artist and graphic designer, he has volunteered in many capacities including the Dallas Museum of Art and the McKinney Avenue Transit Authority. At MATA, he not only volunteered with the historic trolley tours but hand-painted many of the vintage vehicles as a part of the organization’s preservation efforts.  

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/opelrobert 

About the Downtown Arlington Public Art Program 

The Downtown Arlington Public Art Program seeks to engage and inspire our community through art in public spaces. This mural was funded by property owner contributions. To find more public art in Downtown Arlington, visit the links at the bottom of this webpage. Downtown Arlington is the Arlington Cultural District.