Pier Avenue Mural Gets Panel's OK

The large wall space on the side of at the corner of Pier and Manhattan avenues soon will feature an artistic snapshot of Hermosa Beach circa 1907, the has decided.

The panel voted unanimously in a meeting Tuesday night to approve the proposed mural, which serves as the second in the ’s initiative to paint 10 local murals in 10 years.

"We’ll get started by the end of October if all things go well," George Schmeltzer, who sits on the Murals Project board of directors, told the commission.

Schmeltzer said that Hermosa Beach resident and artist Chris Coakley has been selected to paint the proposed mural, which is "an image of a young woman… who’s throwing a bucket of paint out onto the wall and from it is an evolving picture of Hermosa Beach."

"It’s just going to be a lovely painting in itself [and] the historical context will help with learning what the city’s about," Schmeltzer said.

When Schmeltzer showed the commission a draft drawing of the mural, Commissioner Ron Pizer said, "It’s absolutely beautiful. I love the concept."

The Murals Project has used private funding and donations to support the installment and maintenance of its murals, Schmeltzer said.

As the second mural will be drawn at street level, "we are setting aside funds to maintain the painting," Schmeltzer told commissioners.

The in the Hermosa Beach Murals Project was painted on at 13th Court and Hermosa Avenue. It was formally unveiled in May.

"We have a motto that speaks to the importance of the murals. It’s 'making a positive impact, one wall at a time,' " Hermosa Beach Murals Project President Chuck Sheldon told Patch at the unveiling.