You choose your town in Bucks County for a reason, or you're still deciding between a few. Usually it comes down to whether a place feels like somebody lives there on purpose, and the mural you pass on the way to coffee is part of that answer.

I got to sit with someone who's spent years putting that feeling on a wall. On my podcast, Bucks Co Living, Bucks County visual artist Tony Napoli walked me through what it actually takes to turn a blank 35-foot wall into something a whole town claims as its own. This one's for anyone who's ever wondered what's behind the mural they drive past every day.

Here’s a preview of that episode:

Why I Had This Conversation

I've lived and worked in Bucks County long enough to know that the towns people fall in love with aren't just the ones with good schools or a short commute. They're the ones that feel like somebody cared enough to make them beautiful. Murals do that work quietly, and almost nobody stops to ask who's behind the brush.

Tony is behind more of it than most people realize. He was a Pennsbury High School art teacher for nearly three decades, and a generation of former students now call him “Mr. Nap.” Somewhere along the way, teaching turned into a second act: painting the walls of the towns he'd spent his life in.

I wanted to talk to him because I think most people drive past his work every week without knowing his name. That felt worth fixing.

Watch the full episode here:

How a Cold Call Becomes a Mural

Tony's newest project, the mural in Medford, started the way a lot of his work does: with someone who'd fallen in love with an earlier one. 

A woman named Gabrielle called him last August after her mother, who lived in Yardley, wouldn't stop talking about the mural there. Gabrielle and her husband owned a building in Medford and wanted something similar.

From there, it became a group effort. Town council members, the mayor, the historical society, and local citizens all sat down together to design what would eventually go up on the wall. The project ran from March to May of this year.

What struck me listening to Tony describe it is how little of the work is actually painting. Most of it is getting a room full of people, who all care about the same town for different reasons, to agree on one image.

A Locked Deadline and Three Tiers of Scaffolding

The Bristol Stomp mural is probably the one most people in this area know best. Tony painted it with former students Annie Krasinski and Deanna DeNicke, along with John Ennis and Leslie Cleach, as a homage to the song that put Bristol on the map decades ago.

The project came with real pressure. Bristol had already scheduled a dedication, complete with live music, a Bristol Stomp contest, and a car show. That meant the scaffolding, three tiers of it, had to come down on schedule, weather included.

"So, when you have a deadline with a mural that's outside, you're working through the weather. Unless it was pouring rain, or it was below freezing, we were out there. That was the only pressure we had with that one. But luckily, we had it done for the deadline. Scaffolding came down, and the dedication went off without a hitch."

For any agent or business owner who's ever managed a hard deadline with a lot of moving pieces, that quote will feel familiar. The work isn't just the craft. It's holding the whole thing together until the date arrives.

The Horse You Can't Un-See

Tony's most technically ambitious piece, the Ashlynn Distillery mural, stands 35 feet high and 35 feet wide. It includes horses on a canal towpath that appear to walk straight off the building, with one horse's head painted onto the adjoining wall so the animal seems to turn the corner.

He'd never attempted anything like it before, and he had no way to know if the illusion would actually work until he committed to it at full scale.

That's the part of this work people rarely think about. A MuralsbyNap commission isn't a sketch scaled up. It's a decision made in real time, on a lift, on a wall that can't be undone if it's wrong.

Why This Corner of Pennsylvania Is Art Country

Tony made a case I hadn't fully considered before our conversation: Bucks County has been an art destination for over a century, and most residents don't realize it. 

The Bucks County Impressionists worked during the Michener Museum era, painting winter landscapes outdoors instead of from photographs. New Hope and Peddler's Village grew into artist hubs around the same tradition.

He sees the current wave of murals, including his own, as a continuation of that history rather than something separate from it. The farmland, the fall colors, and the small-town scale all feed the same instinct that drew painters here a hundred years ago.

"You know, Bucks County, I think, is there's, first of all, there's so much art in Bucks County. And I think most people don't even realize how important Bucks County is, and was, and still is, in the history of art."

That reframed something for me. The murals aren't decoration bolted onto these towns. They're the newest layer of something that's been building here for generations.

What Changed for Me After This Conversation

I've driven past the Yardley mural more times than I can count, usually on my way to grab coffee. Before my conversation with Tony, I saw it the way most people do: as scenery. Now I think about the committee meetings, the funding, the permissions, and the months of work it took to get there.

"I hope, honestly, 20 years from now, I hope that people still walk by and actually just stop and say, wow, you know, that was done by hand. That was painted. I could see the brushstrokes. And I hope they appreciate everything that went into that, not just from me, but what it took for the entire community to get that up on the wall."

That's the shift for me. A mural isn't really a gift from one artist. It's proof that a town showed up for itself, and Bucks County visual artist Tony Napoli just happens to be the one holding the brush.

Want to hear my full conversation with Tony about his mural artwork in the region?

Frequently Asked Questions

Who painted the Bristol Stomp mural?

The Bristol Stomp mural was painted by Tony Napoli, working alongside former students Annie Krasinski and Deanna DeNicke, along with John Ennis and Leslie Cleach, to honor the song first played in Bristol.

How long does a mural like the one in Medford take to complete?

The Medford mural took roughly two months from start to finish, running from March to May, following an earlier process of committee meetings to design and approve the concept.

Where can I see more of Tony Napoli's work?

His full portfolio, including the Bristol Stomp, Yardley, Medford, and Ashland Distillery murals, is on Instagram at MuralsbyNap.

Apply as a Guest on the Bucks Co Living Podcast

Bucks County is full of people quietly shaping what this place feels like, whether that's on a canvas, in a classroom, or in the middle of helping a family find their dream home. If you're one of the people doing that work, and you've got a story worth telling, I'd love to hear it!

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