Artist Gabe Gault, outfitted with a handful of spray paint cans and a protective mask, took to the skies Wednesday afternoon, casting bright streaks of color against the previously brown brick backdrop of 430 N. Superior St.

Mr. Gault, who is based out of Southern California, worked fast. In just under an hour, two of three outlined sunflowers had already bloomed to life.

“I love doing this. This is my job. This is what I’ve always wanted to do. It’s a blessing,” Mr. Gault said. 

The 30 by 35-foot mural is a part of the Glass City River Wall project.

Project manager Christina Kasper said it mirrors the colors and design of the historic 160,000-square foot large-scale mural, which will soon stretch across 28 grain silos owned by the global agribusiness Archer Daniels Midland Co. The silos rest on the east bank of the Maumee River upstream from downtown Toledo.

The $700,000 project, which was also designed by Mr. Gault, is intended to speak to the city’s storied history in Native American farming. 

“An even bigger part of that story is being a family and motherhood,” Mr. Gault said. “I wanted to pay homage to that. I think that’s something that everyone can relate to and appreciate.” 

While the larger mural installation has been in the works for more than a year, its smaller companion piece pulled together in under a month, Ms. Kasper said. From start to finish, the Superior Street mural is scheduled to take about a week. 

Tim Croak, owner of Croak Asset Management, located at 432 N. Superior St., commissioned the mural and is its primary donor. The painting is located behind Coney Island Hot Dog, another sponsor, and can be found just next door to his business. 

Mr. Croak said he was inspired to create something that would contribute to Toledo’s vibrancy and be enjoyed by downtown visitors for years to come. 

“Art in all its forms is an umbilical cord to the soul. The things that make communities great places to live and work in are some of those settings,” Mr. Croak said.

Croak Asset Management recently renovated the side of their building to include a courtyard. In July, Mr. Croak’s daughter will hold her wedding luncheon there, in the shadow of Mr. Gault’s new mural. 

Mr. Gault’s work is largely characterized as classical. While in his studio, he typically works with acrylics and airbrushes. 

“On this scale, you only have so many options to get it done in a timely manner. I love to use spray paint, roll-on paint, house paint,” he said. 

Mr. Gault has been commissioned by a number of notable companies and organizations including Nike, the NAACP, Will and Jada Smith Foundation, UCLA’s Centennial “100 Years of Activism,” The Tommie Smith Youth Athletics Foundation, and ACLU of Southern California.

The Superior Street mural features three large sunflowers, struck against a bright blue backdrop.

“The sunflowers represent hope and faith,” Mr. Gault’s manager Justin McCormack said. Flowers are a common motif in Mr. Gault’s work.

His manager added that one of the final steps will involve introducing a camouflage-style texture to the background of the mural, a signature that appears in a number of Mr. Gault’s projects. 

The Superior Street mural and the Maumee River mural are Mr. Gault’s first introductions to the Toledo area. He was joined Wednesday by local artist Kodi Kolinski to help execute the Superior Street mural. Mr. Kolinski recently completed a mural at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, 428 N. Erie St., and has tagged a number of downtown Toledo walls. 

“This is not too far out of my realm,” Mr. Kolinski said, characterizing his style as bright and bold. 

The new mural is intended to have an educational focus.

On Monday, students from Scott High School, Ottawa Hills High School, and Cardinal Stritch were invited to a roundtable with the artists and local business owners. And throughout the day Wednesday, a videographer documented the mural painting from start to finish.

The footage will be used as the basis for an educational package to be delivered to any schools that request it, Ms. Kasper said. It will include information about all aspects of getting a mural painted on a wall in downtown, from procuring donors to securing permits to commissioning an artist. The video content will also be posted on YouTube. 

“We wanted to have a process mural which we could document from start to finish,” Ms. Kasper said. “We’re calling it a lighthouse mural because it’s like a beacon for the bigger one.”

The Maumee River mural is scheduled to complete by the Solheim Cup, which kicks off on Aug. 31. 

First Published June 16, 2021, 8:52 p.m.