FRIDAY, MAY 17, 2024
A Seaside, California, resident has painted a photorealistic mural of his boat on his fence after the city told him the vessel couldn’t be visible from the street.
Etienne Constable previously parked his sailboat on his property before moving it to the driveway. The 19-foot-long vessel, named “Might as Well,” was reportedly located on the property for the last four years.
Last year, in July, Constable was told by local government officials that he had to build a 6-foot fence to conceal the boat from the view of his neighbors. The notice regarded a municipal code regarding parking restrictions for non-passenger vehicles.
However, after constructing the fence, he hired his neighbor and local artist to paint a mural to look just like his boat.
“I’m not a rule-breaker but I like to make a political statement as necessary as well as a humorous statement and a creative statement,” Constable said.
At first, artist Hanif Panni and Constable joked about painting a boat on the fence, but then decided to go with it.
“I’m all in favor of generating a discussion and making people smile,” Constable said. “The reaction is extremely more than we ever expected and we're both just tickled about it.”
Ordered to put his boat behind a fence, he added a mural that'll make you do a double take https://t.co/8l8HLblxnd
— Los Angeles Times (@latimes) May 13, 2024
Panni said the piece creates a conversation about “what is an eyesore and what is art.”
“I’m a big proponent of public art in spaces,” Panni said. “It engages people in ways that reaching out and having conversations doesn't sometimes.”
Panni added that other Seaside residents have already asked for him to create murals for their boat fences.
Nick Borges, Acting City Manager and Seaside Police Chief, said he isn’t offended by the mural, adding that the creative response to the city’s municipal code helped create a better relationship among neighbors.
“It does help cities like us get better” and identify whether some city codes should be enforced a certain way, he said.
Constable added that he’s seen drivers slow down to get a better look at it, and friends have called saying they’ve seen pictures of the mural online and recognize his boat. The mural has also since gone viral on social media.
“I’ve been laughing continuously for the last few days,” Constable said. “It’s just hilarious to me that so many people appreciate my sense of humor and way of looking at the work.”
“To be the number one Google result for ‘boat fence painting,’ that is a trophy that I never knew that I needed,” Panni said.
Tagged categories: Artists; Color + Design; Color + Design; Design; Design - Commercial; Murals; Murals; Paint; Program/Project Management; Residential
