From trouble-teen graffiti artist to painting the city’s largest mural, Sioux Falls artist Walter Portz’s latest work is on display.
Portz completed the mural in just 13 days covering a city-owned seven-story parking garage on East 10th Street.
This was in less than half the time originally expected to complete the mural.
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Portz said what surprised him the most was not the undertaking of such a large project, but the support he received from the local community.
“Strangers and old men that would come and just visit for a little while, and friend’s parents bringing me dinner, or, you know, those kinds of things were really fun. It was just great to have the community out. I mean, I bet 200 people stop by and say ‘hi’ in one way or another,” said Portz.
Portz said he used 18 five-gallon buckets in total to complete the project.
He said his inspiration for painting murals comes from a life of appreciating different forms of art.
“In the early 90s, I did a little bit of graffiti and I got into some trouble for that, so public art was not in my wheelhouse for quite a number of years,” said Portz. “Now that that is a more acceptable visual, you know, art presentation, it’s something I have embraced and tried to figure out ways to incorporate digital, photography and street art to create murals.”
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The mural now covers what used to be a massive gray wall of concrete near the core of downtown. The city hopes the new mural will attract the right developer for the space.