A mural in downtown Bangor will soon add a splash of color to the old brick building at the corner of Main and Union streets. Designed by Annette Dodd, co-owner of the Bangor’s Rock and Art Shop, the mural will resemble a vintage postcard. The painting stage of the project began Thursday.

“I can’t wait to see it done,” yelled a woman from her silver van Friday afternoon. “What does it say?”





Kristen Hart, who is helping Dodd with the mural, turned away from the brick wall where she’d been painting to address the woman, who parked across the street. Holding her orange-coated brush in the air, Hart replied, “Greetings from Bangor, Maine.”

“I just took a picture and put it on Facebook,” the woman yelled before waving and continuing across the Joshua Chamberlain Bridge to Brewer.

Following suit, the Bangor Daily News will post regular updates of the mural on Facebook, as well as Twitter and Instagram, searchable by the hashtag #BangMural.

“We’re trying to do [the mural] as quickly as we can,” said Hart, 21, of Newburgh, who is interning at the Rock and Art Shop. “It’s a lot of work.”

Sitting in full sun on an 80-degree day, Hart patiently outlined the “M” in “Maine” with bright orange paint. A man stood at the corner for a few minutes, watching the progress. A little girl pointed out the open window of a SUV waiting at the nearby traffic light. A passing truck honked.

“Lots of people want to know what it’s going to look like, what it’s going to say, what it’s for,” Hart said. “I’m actually not much of a painter, but this is fun and it’s going to be here for a long time.”

Dodd, who couldn’t be reached for comment Friday, gained permission to create the mural from the building’s owner, Peter Brountas, who also owns the building’s newly renovated Main Tavern. In support of the project, he has lent a room in the building for the artists to store their paint.

“When we saw the picture and what they were proposing, it just seemed so wonderful for the city and for us,” Brountas said. “I’ve always noticed in Brewer the brickwork and the plaque that welcomes people to Brewer. Now Bangor will have its own official welcoming, and it’ll be this gorgeous painting.”

“We were very pleased and felt very fortunate that they wanted to do it,” he said. “It will be fun to see it come together.”

Follow #BangMural on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for updates — and post your photos of the progress with that hashtag, too.