A man and his artist friend in Seaside, California, came up with a clever way to comply with a city order when he was told he had to build a fence to hide his boat.
When Etienne Constable got the letter in July, he learned the city wanted him to build a screen to cover up his boat. He did not want to cause more trouble, but came up with a way to make everyone happy, KSBW reported Saturday.
Constable then recruited his neighbor and the pair decided to build a fence but add a twist.
“I’m not a rule-breaker but I like to make a political statement as necessary as well as a humorous statement and a creative statement,” said Constable, whose neighbor painted a boat on the fence.
The outcome was an incredible life-like image of his boat that is parked just behind the fence:
A timelapse video shared by the YouTube user Hanif Panni shows the artistic process.
“A painting of boat in a driveway next to a house on a fence in front of a boat in a driveway next to a house! This was a fun one, even got my oldest boy to help out!” Panni wrote in the caption:
Constable has said he believes it is a First Amendment right, adding he wants people to discuss such things together. He also loves making his neighbors smile and the reactions they have received has “tickled” them both.
Panni, who is a muralist, believes his work fosters conversation about the difference between an eyesore and artwork, and it makes him feel good to see public displays of art.
Now, other neighbors want their own murals to dress up their boat fences.