Artist Larry Crawford has started painting on the ditch located at the intersection of the Brays Bayou and Wilcrest Drive

Artist Larry Crawford started Tuesday working on a mural that will be located in Houston's Westchase District and that will pay homage to the first responders and the volunteers who rescued Houstonians during Hurricane Harvey.

The Westchase District has commissioned the mural, which –with an approximate size of 85 foot wide and 25 foot tall— will be the largest in that part of Houston, where there are already other murals.

Using a technique that combines spray and hand painting, Crawford is painting the mural on the ditch located at the intersection of the Brays Bayou connector trail and the Wilcrest Drive connector trail. A rendering of the mural shows it in black and white, but Crawford is painting it in color.

The ditch is property of the Harris County Flood Control District, which authorized the Westchase District to go ahead with the project.

The mural will depict a combination of images that show Houston's skyline, two rescue helicopters and two rescue boats to honor the U.S. Coast Guard, the National Guard, Louisiana’s Cajun Navy and volunteer rescuers in general.

“This was one of those ditches that would have been full and serving its purpose as a water conveyance channel at the time of the storm and, now that it’s down and more to its regular levels, this will be a nice artistic thank you to those who worked so hard to save people that needed saving after the storm,” said Sherry Fox, vice president of Communications at the Westchase District.

Brand identity and calming environment

Fox explained that the mural will also help with the Westchase District's “brand identity” and, additionally, there is research indicating that public art of this kind can be conducive to creating a “calming environment.” Moreover, this public art also contributes to maintaining and increasing property values.

Crawford has already painted other murals in the Westchase District and categorized this new endeavor as “cool project” because the first responders and the volunteer rescuers “deserve the recognition.”

The artist anticipates he could complete the mural in three or four weeks, weather permitting.

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