The marine muralist who goes by the name Wyland plans to create a new painting of marine life in the Florida Keys to replace the landmark mermaid mural.
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Wyland offered his services after noticing that the mermaid, which had become faded after 18 years of exposure to sun and weather on a commercial building in Key Largo, had disappeared under a coat of yellow paint, the Miami Herald reported.
The building owned by Michael Denault is utilitarian concrete and home to a truck rental agency. But it occupies a strategic spot in the median of U.S. 1.
"I'm stoked. This is the gateway to the Keys and I'm going to paint it," Wyland said.
Wyland, an artist more loved by the public than critics, has painted murals in the Keys, including one in Key West. The Key Largo mural is to be the 95th in his 100 murals project, which has been underway since 1981.
Wyland has big plans for his finale, a giant mural for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games with contributions from children around the world. But the Chinese government is not enthusiastic about his choice of a site -- the Great Wall.