A second mural, this one along the soon-to-open Margaritaville Beach Resort on Fort Myers Beach, is helping to paint a brighter look to the town as it rebuilds from the damage caused by Hurricane Ian.
Local artists, again, are involved, this time painting a scenic mural along the side of the resort.
The project is expected to be finished by the beginning of December. The mural will show, among other images, palm trees and Jimmy Buffett’s sea plane with "Margaritaville" painted on the wing.
The work is being completed along Estero Boulevard near Crescent Street, painted on the side of what once was the Cigar Hut.
The mural is supported by the Fort Myers Mural Society through funds dedicated to the revitalization of areas impacted by Hurricane Ian.
This mural joins another one completed earlier this year on the tower long known as "Norm's elevator shaft." It had been a little-noticed part of the town's main plaza area for years. After Ian pretty scrubbed much of Times Square away, the shaft stood alone.
That mural, visible as visitors to Fort Myers Beach crest the Matanzas Pass Bridge, also has the tropical vibe with nautical scenes in bright colors that glow as they are lighted at night.
For that depiction, Lacy McClary, a Fort Myers muralist, and another local muralist, Summer DeSalvo, were asked to paint a mural to help lift spirits on Fort Myers Beach one year after Hurricane Ian. Each muralist painted two sides of the tower.
At the new site, artist Roland Ruocco and muralist Erik Schlake were commissioned by Margaritaville to fill the previous blank wall with a colorful scene.
Ruocco described the setting: "The artwork was provided to us by Margaritaville. Erik Schlake and myself were hired to do this mural. There's going to be an Adirondack chair and a hammock in there and a little table with a margarita on it."
Ruocco was putting finishing touches on palm trees and the Buffett seaplane when he was asked why he was painting the wall:
“It's a good experience and I'm happy to share my gifts and talents with everyone, and hopefully we've got nothing but positive reviews," he said. "So far, people seem to really love it, and that's really gratifying.”
Ruocco said the rewarding thing about public art such as the mural is that people get to see it.
“There's a lot of good possibilities for selfies. It's kind of interactive because it's kind of on street level," he said. “There's a nice sense of interactivity to the passerby. I'm glad that people will appreciate it and they will enjoy it and it will enhance the area and the community, and that's something that's really important.”
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