Local artist painting ocean mural at city pool

The Weiser City Council recently approved a project that promises to brighten up the appearance of the Weiser Pool and add to the beautification of the city as a whole.

 Artist Bonnie Akbar, who owns Artful Bons in downtown Weiser, went before council members during a regular monthly meeting Aug. 12, seeking approval of a proposed mural for the pool located on the Northwest corner of E. Third Street and E. Hanthorn Avenue.

 “It is the exterior of the building, facing south against E. Hanthorn,” said Akbar, noting where the mural can be seen. “It will basically cover two different walls, both the entryway and the outside where the name of the city swimming pool is, but we won’t need to take down that sign. It will extend about 6 feet up, underneath the sign. And then the other side will go all the way up to the roof and covers the entryway.”

 Akbar said her plans for the mural were inspired by typical ocean concepts and beach images that parallel the pool’s bustling activity on any given summer day.

 “It’s going to be an ocean scene with a bunch of critters in it and an octopus over a door and that kind of thing, maybe a little tide pool or something,” she told the Signal American last week. “The entryway will be a playful scene with turtles and octopi. I’ll take about a week to do each wall.”

 Originally, Akbar had planned on seeking not only permission to paint the mural, but funds from the city to purchase the paint needed to complete the project. The LOR Foundation, however, awarded her a grant for up to $350 toward the cost, resulting only in the need for the city’s “thumbs-up” to move forward.

 Akbar was already busy early last week, painting ocean and sand on the south-facing wall. She revealed that it cost a bit more for the paint than she had anticipated. Like everything these days, the price has significantly increased.

 Over half of the grant money went toward base paint for the gray exterior cinder block wall.

At the Aug. 12 council meetings, she added that eventually some degree of maintenance may be required.

 “It’s only because when you paint a surface, down the road, 30 years or so, the paint may peel,” she said. “I’m using high-quality Sherwin-Williams paint, including as a base paint for mathat has a 25-year guarantee.”

 Council members unanimously approved the project, Akbar noting she planned on starting the project before the end of Aug., but said that she did not have a firm date for completion, though it shouldn’t take more than two or three weeks.

 Akbar has been contributing to Weiser’s overall aesthetics for a few years now. She has painted other buildings, including the Weiser Postcard mural on the north side of Weiser Classic Candy off Main Street, the front façade of Legends on Main and a flag in the hallway of the Community Center. She also painted a large mural on the OH-Honey Bee-stro in Cambridge. 

 She has also has been commissioned for projects with private residents. Her most recent work can be seen on the south side of Weiser city hall, adjacent to the parking area.

 “It’s a stylized … kind of a sunset sky that looks like an American flag,” she explained. 

 The work she is doing at the pool has even drummed up a new client.

 “I was out here painting and a guy stopped by and asked me if I could do something on his garage door, so that’s pretty cool,” she said.

 The trick to working on such large paintings is to keep stepping back..

 “I’m a perfectionist, so I usually do a piece, have to look at it and sit with it for a minute, then get back to it,” she said. “It’s funny, I never thought I was going to do murals. I was doing paint nights at my shop, which I absolutely love, then suddenly I’m doing these murals and I absolutely love it. It’s a kick to work on a big scale.”

 Akbar is a retired elementary school teacher who holds a master’s in math and science education, but rediscovered art following a serious car crash.

 “I was in a major car accident that I did not walk away from,” she said. “I had a traumatic brain injury. I lost my memory; I lost my words for a while. I was just a hot mess and art helped calm down my mind. That and some very good counseling and 13 different doctors! But the point is that’s what it was for me, it was therapy.”

 It became even more important as a breast cancer survivor and following the loss of her husband.

 “I’m a walking miracle,” she said. “I am so fortunate with my support system, and my family is just amazing. I’m just happy to be here. I am constantly amazed that I get to do and I do. Life is a gift.”