This 450 square foot mural was painted on concrete on and meant to add a voice to a small building, The Last Chance Garage, currently surrounded by intense neighborhood construction. The building’s owner, Dave Adams, traces his ancestry back to Greece and is a retired historical carpenter, so it features crumbling Greek columns with a view of the sea between them and includes the historic Portsmouth Gundalow ship sailing in the distance.
The words UTOPOS NOSTOS are Greek words that mean “no place/a perfect place” and “returning home/nostalgia.” These words were chosen from Dave’s ancestral heritage to convey the sense that we as humans are perpetually longing for a perfect place, but that place doesn’t exist, just as there is no true “perfection” able to be achieved through historical preservation either. However, there is beauty in the reaching for this unachievable state, and our attempts at perfection, from the construction of Greek architecture to the Portsmouth Gundalow, are worthy of our awe and our continuous efforts.
This next shot is the left side of the building in progress. A snowy owl was added here because they are local to the Seacoast of NH in recent years.
Here’s the mural at about 80% completion. Scaffolding was used for the artist to reach each side of the building.
The artist at work:
Almost done – connecting the sky:
Entire finished mural:
The NH Gazette, the oldest newspaper in the US, has written a beautiful report on the mural in their November 15th, 2024 issue (read the whole issue online HERE):
FLYING OWL PAINTING 