HOULTON, Maine — A trio of large paintings on Kendall Street have helped brighten up Houlton’s downtown and more could be on the way.
Hodgdon artist Gina Parent was commissioned to create three paintings for an outdoor area near the Kendall Street apartments owned by John Harvell of Presque Isle as a way to spruce up the apartment complex.
“I wanted to bring some life to that corner,” Harvell said. “Art is extremely important in society and our little town lacked art. I felt that having Gina take on this assignment fitted her well, allowed her to have a stepping stone in our community. She did a wonderful job.”
Parent said she was pretty much given a blank canvas on the design and subject matter she would paint.
“We hashed out how we were going to do it,” Parent said. “My only requirement was that I did not want to paint directly on the wall because I didn’t want to be outside like that, up on scaffolding.”
The painting project took about five weeks to complete. Her concept began as an idea for winged creatures such as butterflies and birds, but quickly morphed into a flowery project.
“I used the same color pallet for all three paintings so they would all sort of go together,” Parent said.
Jim Bell, owner of Wired Houlton, assisted Harvell with the erection of the three massive murals. Bell has long been a supporter of local artists and has offered his coffee house for showings.
The paintings have been treated with cement sealer to prevent any fading or scratches.
“Hopefully this is the beginning of something more,” Parent said. “I would love to see more businesses follow suit and have art put up. My dream would be to have four seasons displayed throughout the town. The sky’s the limit and I think it could be a real draw for the town of Houlton.”
