Complete the Hastings Mural

I was originally invited to paint this wall in 2012 when I was on a visit from Brazil where I was living at the time. When I moved back to the US in 2021, I was invited to redo the wall, and since then I have been painting it a little at a time. I would love to paint the top part of the wall but don’t have the equipment to do so. My plan: rent a cherry picker for one day of intensive painting to finish the top portion of the wall. Along with the rental fee for the lift, I need to buy paint and hopefully hire an assistant for the day.

These are my projected expenses:

I originally painted this wall in 2012 with three large critters in primary colors, one in each panel. It has faded and weathered over the years and I was invited to repaint it when I moved back to the US last year. Since then, I have gradually added critters in bright colors at ground level and as high as I can reach with the ladder I have, but I want to complete the wall.

Here's how it looked in 2012:

The wall is divided into three "panels" so I am painting them as a loosely-themed triptych. I like to work improvisationally and over time, but due to the constraints of the rental I will be doing a more carefully planned and quickly executed job on the top half of the wall. The wall measures about 30 feet tall, and each panel is 7 1/2 feet wide. My only parameter from the owners of the building is not to paint the mysterious metal door in the middle of the wall. You can see more of my work on Instagram at www.instagram.com/markuzar or on Flickr at https://www.flickr.com/photos/markuza

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I have requested vacation time for the third week in September and will be renting the lift during that period. I already ordered a bunch of paint! If I do not succeed in raising all the money I need for the rental, I will use the money raised to pay for the paint and a 40 foot ladder to try to finish the painting that way. It would be a lot more work from a ladder and the final result wouldn't be as good.

All funds raised in this fundraiser will go toward this project, whether I reach my goal or not.

A. J. Hastings opened in 1914 and closed this summer. We miss the store and the wonderful people who worked there!

Thanks for your help in making this project possible.