VINELAND — Erin DiPalma, a local artist and city resident, unveiled plans for the city’s newest mural Thursday. Themed around fresh foods, a bold rainbow of fruits and vegetables will be painted on what once was a blank white wall on East Landis Avenue.
The ode to South Jersey’s agricultural products and local restaurants was made possible with the help of Main Street Vineland’s The Ave, downtown Vineland’s business district.
“We wanted to celebrate the kind of ‘Dine on The Ave’ theme in some way. The picture is not drawn to scale, but it will stretch all the way along the building,” said Russell Swanson, Main Street Vineland’s executive director.
The current progress on the mural, the black background, a lemon, and a bright red Jersey tomato took several weeks to complete.
Once finished, the two-story 1,800-square-foot space will be filled with fruits and vegetables, most grown in New Jersey.
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DiPalma, 29, has been an artist for as long as she can remember and has worked professionally for the past five years. She’s done murals in Atlantic City on utility boxes as part of a beautification project. DiPalma wanted to adapt that same concept in Vineland, so she pursued this venture with The Ave to beautify the space and get some recognition for her craft.
“I reached out to them a year ago, because I wanted to get my name out there, and I was like ‘Do you guys mind if I do a big mural on Landis Ave?’ So we went through like three different ideas before we came to this one and it fits perfectly,” DiPalma said.
The mural is located on the right side of a restaurant called Vegans Are Us, at 636 E. Landis Ave.
In order to paint the second story, DiPalma uses a mechanical lift, surprising onlookers as well as Vegans Are Us owner Sharonda Harris-Bunton.
“I come out here and I just watch her all the time, she’s amazing. She’s up there and that thing’s shaking and I’m just like ‘Oh my God!’ But I can’t wait for it to be finished. I think it’s going to be a perfect add. In fact, I was coming down the other day and I was like, ‘Wow, that thing is bright!’ You can see it as soon as you come down,” Harris-Bunton said.
Working on nice weekend days, DiPalma hopes to have the mural completed by the summer “before it gets too hot,” she said.
DiPalma invites anyone with an artist’s background and an interest in the project to come to the location and help paint on weekends.
“Bring your paint brushes,” DiPalma said.
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