ORLANDO, Fla. — These wings, painted on a door in a Downtown DeLand alley are a viral sensation that inspired a trail of wings through West Volusia County.

“They were a happy accident completely,” said DeLand Wings artist Eric Group.

  • DeLand Wings painted in 2014 an internet sensation
  • Now Part of 6-Piece Wings of the West Trail in West Volusia
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On September 2014, Group drew the wings with chalk onto a door for a photo shoot for an area dress shop (yes, she had the building owner’s permission). It was only supposed to be a one day thing that eventually the rain would wash away.

But it’s amazing what can go viral when you post on Instagram. Group says people started visiting the shop to ask where the wings were.

“Before we knew it, all these people started taking pictures with the wings,” Group said. “So eventually the building owner asked that I paint the wings permanently, which I had been daydreaming about.”

Since then hundreds, if not thousands of people have taken pictures with the DeLand Wings. We asked our viewers on Facebook to share their pictures with the wings, thinking we’d get a few dozen. Within 24 hours we have over 400!

 

Group says the stories behind some of these pictures have brought her to tears, like pictures people have taken with loved ones who have since passed away.

“That they can have that photo is so special,” Group said.

She also loves the happier photos too.

“I love seeing the brides,” she said. “And babies. I’ve seen it happening already where people are using it as a growth chart. That’s awesome.”

“And any time there’s a dog!” Group laughed.

The wings were so popular that West Volusia Tourism asked her to paint a series of them around the area. The Wings of the West is now a trail that includes SkyDive Deland, Deltona, Cassadaga, DeLeon Springs and Barberville, and each pair is different. You can learn more about them on the artist's website.

But the original DeLand wings are special, because of the meaning people have attached to them.

“I drew them as wings, but there’s no denying that they’ve become angel wings,” Group said.