‘My art makes people smile.’ North Texas mural artist turns dream into reality.

If you’ve seen a mural in the Metroplex, there’s a good chance you’ve seen the artistic talents of Sheri Lopez of Azle.

Lopez, owner and creator of the business That’s Flippin’ Smart Art, has painted murals all over Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri and North Dakota.

Her most recent one she just finished is in Arlington at a new Thai restaurant called R-Haan Thai Cuisine. It is a 45 foot long and 13 foot high mural of a Buddha Statue in Thailand, along with a logo mural she painted for folks to see as they walk in the front doors.

“R-Haan translates to food in Thailand. The owners heard about me from one of their customers at their other restaurant, Simply Burgers,” Lopez recalled. “This mural will definitely bring the wow factor to this new restaurant.”

Lopez, 46, specializes in bringing the wow factor with her work. Another favorite of hers is the “Howdy” mural at Al Boenker Insurance on Lake Worth Boulevard in Fort Worth. It’s actually three murals in one with a scavenger hunt for all ages on a 55-foot wall.

“I guess Al was really loving my ideas and kept adding more,” she said. “You scan the QR codes at either end of the building and it will give you a list of about 45 hidden items. All the hidden items are Texas-themed and/or meaningful to Al Boenker himself.”

More of her work can be found at:

▪ Azle Fire Department - “Buzzy The Firefighter” (school district hornet mascot) with American and Texas flags.

▪ Unitea Bubble Tea, Arlington - “Angel Wings” with quote murals that say “Your wings already exist…” You can’t buy my love…”, “I like big cups…”

▪ First Watch Café, Arlington - “Farm Fresh.”

▪ South Main District Salon, Fort Worth - “It Was All A Dream.”

▪ 2 Ten Salon, Willow Park - “Your Hair Rocks” and “Good Vibes Only.”

Flipping homes and art

Lopez said the name of her business came from painting, but not murals.

“I paint houses too. I actually owned a remodeling company and that’s where the name That’s Flippin’ Smart Art comes from. I named it That’s Flippin’ Smart with the tagline, ‘Flippin’ ugly homes right side up!’ and everyone always went on and on about my business name, loving it,” she said. “So when I moved back to Texas and started over, I decided that I would keep the same name and just add ‘Art.” It’s pretty catchy and gets people talking.”

Lopez remodeled homes for 12 years and still does so on the side for good friends, if they can talk her into it, she said with a laugh.

Lopez has been a professional muralist/artist full-time for six years. When she moved back to Azle from Oklahoma City in 2015 she decided she was going to do what she loves most. She had been selling her artwork and painting murals ever since she was in college at Texas Wesleyan.

Lopez grew up in a musically talented family, and would often take the stage to perform with her family and in school talent shows, winning several awards in junior high and high school. It wasn’t until seventh grade, when she took an art class, that she realized her true calling.

“That’s where we were asked to draw a ‘still life’ of a jar filled with pencils sitting in the middle of our table. When I brought this drawing home to my parents, my mom went on and on about how realistic it looked,” Lopez said. “She said that it looked like it was three-dimensional and was so impressed.

“My mom will always be my No. 1 fan. She’s always called me her little artist since then.”

‘Smiley’ loves to make others smile

Lopez combined her talents by painting backdrops for high school musicals in which she performed.

“I was always excited when my parents would come and watch me perform in the high school musicals and at the same time I could show them the backdrops I painted in all the scenes,” she said.

Lopez will paint just about anything, though murals are her specialty.

She’s also preparing to paint a mural for a new reality series.

“I don’t know what the name of their series will be, but ... it’s a reality TV show that’s kind of in between the ‘Pawn Stars’ and ‘Storage Wars’ shows,” she said.

A sense of adventure has led Lopez to create her memorable art, which also includes her popular window art/murals. She had done some in college, and renewed her interest in it in late 2019 when a friend asked her to paint a Christmas mural in the window of her business.

“I love painting window murals because most of them just let me paint whatever comes to mind for that holiday or season,” she said. “I really enjoy creating art for people. I’m a very happy and energetic person. My nickname is Smiley and I love how everyone reacts when I’m finished with their masterpiece. It makes me feel good that God blessed me with such a talent. My art makes people smile.”