Here Comes the Sun in Sanford

HERE COMES THE SUN

in Sanford

BY NIKKI NAMDAR

Sanford’s very first mural has been brightening up First Street. Painted on none other than the Hotchkiss Building, which houses Jeanine Taylor Folk Art Gallery and Gallery on First, passersby look up and notice a large sun with its cheeks adorned with a yin-yang symbol and peace sign. The mural is appropriately titled, “Here Comes the Sun,” inspired by The Beatles.

“This is going to be an icon of Sanford,” Artist Mark Seppala said. “The next thing we're going to do is coffee mugs with this artwork on it. People will take a little piece of Sanford home with them.”

The Pepperland-colored piece is inspired by the illustrator, Heinz Edelmann, who drew the graphics for The Beatles’ “Yellow Submarine” film. Seppala is wearing a groovy face mask designed with a land of submarines and a Rolling Stones t-shirt with the famous rock ‘n roll tongue out as he relishes in memories about seeing The Beatles live three times as a kid in Boston. He was just 30 feet away from the legendary rock stars, including George Harrison, who wrote the 1969 hit song that is the namesake to the alleyway artwork.

A former Disney artist, Seppala and his partner, John Sullivan, came to historic downtown Sanford seeking a small-town community.

“When I left Disney, that was my dream job. It was hard to leave, but l tell people, ‘Life is like a ruler; you only get so many inches.’ So, when John and I came to Sanford, we wanted community. That was our main goal—don't just relax. He and I are overachievers. People think we are crazy sometimes,” he said as he recalls planning ‘Art is a Drag,’ the first drag queen entertainment in Sanford history. They are proud to be integral parts of a more inclusive movement in Sanford.

During this project, which took roughly three weeks, the couple found exactly what they were looking for. Although it was his vision and drawing, Seppala’s mural dedication acknowledges key figures who were all aboard in making this drawing life-size in the heart of Celery City.

“Right in the middle of it, I had to go to the emergency room. I was

'Here Comes the Sun' continued from page 6 bummed. But the gallery and the community pulled together to help finish this. I was really happy with that,” he said. There were three contributors who stood out, Stewart Jones, Julie Latayan, and Sullivan. “They were phenomenal. If it wasn’t for them, this wouldn’t have happened. Without John, this wonderful mural would have never come to fruition, and I thank him for being Nurse Ratched for weeks on end.”

It took two years to get the mural approved and complete the concept and artwork, which includes flowers, butterflies, and about 10 hidden images of Louie, the gallery pup. Two of which Seppala can’t find anymore, he laughed as he told onlookers. People can play a game of, Where’s Louie? “It’s part of the fun,” he said. “Little kids love finding the Louies.” He supports art education for children to keep their minds going, which is why it’s his mission to always incorporate an artistic element in the town events. Through his artwork, a whole new generation gets to learn about the classic animated movie that demonstrated pop art at its finest.

The great part, he said, is when you go down Laundry AD.pdf 1 09/05/2018 1:02 pmFirst Street now, you walk up to the sun and

Final look at the mural at the Hotchkiss Building

ask what else is there? “Hopefully it'll help other businesses. There are a lot of blank walls around here. Maybe they can start doing something, too.”

In addition to the new mural, about 50 butterfly wings have been painted all around the historic area. Their goal is to get into the Guinness Book of World Records. “I haven’t heard one negative comment about it at all. People are just loving it,” he said. He smiled while watching observers take pictures in front of the wall. A group of little campers posed in front of the work. Seppala asked them if they liked it. Among the children’s chatter, you can hear, “I like the butterflies!” But mural paint isn’t cheap, so he can’t thank the sponsors and donors enough. “They paid for the paint and the damn lift that got us up 30 feet to the top. We could have never done this without that. This was the first large scale mural,” added Seppala, who has been creating illustrations since grade school (ask him about how he is with numbers, he jokingly says, “I can’t balance a checkbook! No good.”). “It’s an ongoing project. Sullivan is going to put up lights, so it looks like a little Italian village at night.”

“I hope everyone enjoys the mural and leaves with a smile. I’ve got so many things in the works. I’m busier than I ever was at Disney,” he said. “This is just the beginning.” n

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