The City of New London’s whaling wall mural is getting a makeover from the artist who painted the original 30 years ago.
Robert Wyland painted just 100 whale-themed murals around the world — New London’s was number 41.
Due to inclement weather, Wyland started repainting the mural on Sunday and handed it over to the city at a dedication ceremony on Monday.
Mayor Mike Passero said a lot of effort has been put into making this happen.
“It’s going to be brand new, and we expect it to last more than 30 years this time,” Passero said. “We’ve spent a lot of money to get the surface prepared for him — a quarter million dollars.”
Over the years, local artists have renovated the mural. But Passero said he’s excited that Wyland came out of retirement to help celebrate the city’s whaling history.
“It’s sort of a dream come true,” he said. “I couldn’t really believe it when I heard that he was available, willing to come back and really do a reprieve of something great that happened in the city 30 years ago. Yeah, so we’re thrilled.”
"It’s just been amazing, and you know what makes these projects great are the beautiful cities and the people that we meet, the volunteers, the people that come down here or just bring their kids," Wyland said. "It just makes it so special, you know those stories. I’ve met most of you people before and now you guys have kids, and their kids are going to have kids and be able to enjoy this mural for many many years to come.”
