Sam Bullard put most of the finishing touches on their vibrantly colored new mural on the Main Street-facing wall of Shaw’s Supermarket in Bangor on Wednesday — the same day that they turned 28 years old.
Bullard, a Bangor-based artist and Hermon native, has been working on the mural, titled “An Optimistic Vision Inspiring Neighborhood Recovery,” for the past month. They estimate they have put at least 100 hours into the painting, which was sponsored by the Together Place Recovery Center in Bangor, in an effort to bring more inspiring public art to the city.
It stands about 20 feet tall and 20 feet wide, and it depicts a scene people from Maine and from all over the world know and love: the sunrise over Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park. The sunrise is rendered in brilliant jewel tones, and hikers can be seen summiting the mountain.
“The Together Place wanted something on the theme of community optimism and looking toward the future, and I think a great way to portray that is through hikers helping each other up through the long journey together,” Bullard said. “I think that’s a great allegory for recovery, and for a community working together for a better future.”
Bullard spent most of their time up on scaffolding or on a 15-foot ladder, painting during the afternoon hours on clear days to take advantage of the sun. All they have left to do now is wait for the paint to completely dry, and then add a final layer of clear coat to weather-proof the mural. They said that over the weeks they spent painting the mural, they received many positive comments from passersby.
“It was really great to hear people say how thankful they were that we are bringing something like this to Bangor and brightening up our community and giving us something beautiful to look at every day,” they said.
Bullard said that they are proud to be part of a recent wave of public art being created all over town, including the Franklin Street murals painted in June of this year by artists Annette Sohns Dodd and Peter Walls, the “Hopeful” sign installed in December 2021 and the yearly Downtown Bangor Wheatpaste Project, which puts temporary murals up all over downtown Bangor each summer.
The Together Place already sponsored the creation of one piece of public art, a mural depicting famous Mainers painted by Liam Reading, and installed on the organization’s Second Street building in 2018. Another piece of art, a sculpture created by Wabanaki artist Steven Francis Hooke, is set to be installed on the Bangor Waterfront by the end of the year.
“Annnette has been one of my mentors. It’s really an amazing time for the arts scene in Bangor. There have been a lot of barriers in the past but a lot of doors have opened recently,” they said. “It’s been so inspiring to see the work of all these people, and I hope we see much more of it in the years to come.”