INSIDE/OUTSIDE

Artist Peter Flynn Donovan recently completed “Inside Outside,” a highly visible mural on the front second floor façade of 3S Artspace. Commissioned by 3S, the nearly 1,000 square foot mural was Rollinsford-based artist Donovan’s first large-scale project. A sweeping panorama of various objects, animals, and symbols, including an image of a heart at its center, the mural tells a story that is personal to the artist but employs universal themes and symbols that relate to the collective human experience. The mural will be on the building for viewing until 3S’s capital campaign is complete and construction to renovate the building begins.

The 80’ x 12’ mural was painted with exterior latex paint and spray paint. Rather than working out ideas on paper ahead of time, Donovan made decisions about content intuitively, working the wall from left to right, giving himself daily assignments. The objects were first sketched in white spray paint, filled in with color and detail with exterior paint, and finished by outlining the objects in black paint.

“Painting the mural at 3S was the opportunity and challenge that I’d been craving for a long time, even if the wall was initially overwhelming in its size and the creative freedom it allowed for,” said Donovan. “I wanted to tell a story that was personal but one that anyone could potentially relate to. Portsmouth is my hometown and I’m honored to be a part of 3S Artspace, a progressive, community-based, inclusive organization, and to give back to my community in a way that I’m able to.”