Rendering of President Obama by Artist Eric Giddings Drawn With One Non-intersecting Line May be Down Loaded, for Free at: webbieg.com

Eric Giddings Creating a Neighborhood Wall at Colucci’s Deli, Congress Street

By Carol McCracken  (Post # 1,217)

“This is a mural of the neighborhood and for the neighborhood,” said artist Eric Giddings, as he was drawing Munjoy Hill  landmarks in a mural he’s creating on a blank wall outside Colucci’s Deli yesterday afternoon. “This is a populated community project and we want community involvement in it,” Giddings said. 

Giddings who has been at work on the mural for several weeks now said that one spring day he was walking by the 20 ft. x 18 ft. blank wall on Congress Street. He thought it would be a perfect spot for a mural.  Dicki Colluci, Colluci’s co-owner, referred him to Shipyard Brewery  and shortly thereafter Giddings met with Bill Forsley and Paul Sottery of Shipyard. The Hill based brewery agreed to finance material for the mural.  Following several meetings and several submissions, the three decided on a mural based loosely on Shipyard’s export logo; a ship with a village on the background. 

Giddings said he’s creating the mural in two phases.  The first phase is on-going and will continue until the temperature is too cold to proceed, probably two more weeks.  So far, he’s  worked 13 hour days.The second phase will come next spring when he paints the mural.   A special oil based  paint will be used.  It comes from One Shot Paints, Chicago.   The welll-known company sells 44 different colors and Giddings plans on using all 44 colors in his mural.  The Hill landmarks have been sketched in including; the St. Lawrence Arts Center, the Observatory across the street, Colucci’s Deli, Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Co. & Museum, Shipyard Brewery and a typical home on the east end of Portland. Giddings is requesting that residents of the area who would like to be represented on the wall, drop off a photo at Colucci’s or email it to Giddings at: webbieg.com for consideration.  Giddings, 25, was a track star, at Stanford University from which he graduated.  He plans on returning to Stanford’s graduate program for product design; perhaps next year.

Sottery said that normally Shipyard does not put its logo on the side of city walls, but this mural really promotes the community on the Hill.  Colluci said this is definitely a positive collaboration between two Hill businesses.  “We had the wall and Shipyard was willing to finance the project.”

EDITOR’S NOTE:  The middle photo above is a “Detail of a   Small Part of President Obama’s lip.”  The full photo is above that.  Apologies for the error and the left-handed line up of the photos!