HomeStyle Bakery Mural

Antioch-based artist Brian Tull partners with HomeStyle Bakery in Antioch to create custom public mural coinciding with bakery's 50th anniversary

Antioch, TN (July 18, 2025) – Artist Brian Tull's latest large-scale mural has transformed the side of HomeStyle Bakery in the Antioch area from a blank, off-white wall to a colorful scene celebrating the simple joys of sweets and childhood. Tull completed the mural in July 2025. The whimsical mural depicts a young girl (modeled after Tull's own 8-year-old daughter) pulling a red wagon overflowing with decorated cookies, cakes and pies.

It's the first large-scale mural Tull has painted in the Antioch area, located only two miles from his home.

"I've lived in Antioch since 1999, and I've been a full-time artist since 2007. Nashville has so much public art spread over the city. Antioch is so rich in culture, but has no public art," Tull says. "I have murals in Alabama, Georgia, Illinois, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. I realized the need for public art in Antioch, so I reached out to HomeStyle Bakery about five years ago. The family-owned bakery has been part of the Antioch community since 1975. I was awarded a Thrive grant from Metro Arts for the design and completion of the mural."

Tull began working on the mural in May 2025, and completed it a few weeks ago, around July 4. He dreamed up the idea for the mural in the middle of the night.

"I wanted something along the lines of what I typically do – nostalgia, maybe a vintage mixer or a person eating a cupcake," he says. "But I wanted this mural to be a bit different, louder and more playful than what my art is known for. Once the idea came to me, a little girl – my 8-year-old daughter – pulling a wagon with baked goods flying out, I hired Netherlands-based artist, Angie Mathot, to illustrate what I envisioned in my head."

The timing of the mural was perfect for HomeStyle Bakery, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2025.

"As Nashville's oldest bakery, we've had generations of families step through our doors," says Sarah Mullis, HomeStyle Bakery owner. "We are now making third-generation wedding cakes and fourth-generation birthday cakes. Many stories have been told about the feelings evoked from childhood memories at HomeStyle Bakery – it's the excitement of getting a donut before school or being rewarded with a cupcake after receiving an A on a test. These interactions make lasting impressions for a child, and we wanted the mural to capture that feeling."

In the mural design, the child's long, flowing red hair adds movement and vibrancy, while the iconic red Radio Flyer wagon speaks to all generations. Many of the desserts depicted in the design are decorated for different holidays – a nod to the bakery's founder, Beverly Edwards, who loved all holidays and was known for opening her home to the community every Christmas season so visitors could see her decorations, including hundreds of Christmas village houses.

"It was certainly a spectacle," Mullis says. "What you now see on the bakery wall is the perfect representation of a 'kid in a candy store' or the joy of baking holiday cookies with grandma. It's joyful, vibrant and carefree – a universal feeling we all want to experience time and again. Every time I see it, I'm flooded with emotions. I hope it does the same for everyone."

Tull hopes the mural brings people to the Antioch area, not only to view it, but also to shop for treats at the bakery and support other local small businesses.

"I hope the mural gives people a sense of freedom and playfulness," Tull says. "I hope it gives everyone a smile and brings some light into our thoughts and actions."

HomeStyle Bakery is located at 2709 Murfreesboro Pike in Antioch, TN. For more information about Tull and his work, please visit www.briantull.com or on social media @artistbriantull.

About Brian Tull:

Brian Tull is an independent Antioch-based artist who specializes in acrylic and oil paintings as well as large-scale murals. Tull’s work is included in many private, corporate, institutional and public collections. Tull has four murals in the Nashville area, as well as in Alabama, Georgia, Illinois, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and West Tennessee.

Tull is represented with his fine art, photorealism paintings at Tinney Contemporary in Nashville, TN and Quidley & Company Fine Art in Nantucket, MA and Naples, FL He is also available for custom commissions.