A muralist has begun painting a design selected by the city of Oneonta on the Water Street retaining wall near the new transit hub.
Yulia Avgustinovich, a muralist who has completed projects across the country in places like Boise, Idaho, and Washington, D.C., climbed up a ladder and began putting on the first coat of paint Monday, Aug. 24.
Chosen by the city’s Public Arts Commission from among other proposals, Avgustinovich’s mural design incorporated local geography, nature, history and architecture. It is titled “The Four Seasons of Oneonta” and is expected to fill a roughly 245 foot by 14 foot area, drawing heavily on the city logo’s colors: light blue, dark blue, red and green.
“I decided to focus on nature” and the four seasons, which informed the color palette, Avgustinovich said Aug. 11.
Local flora and fauna are included in the design, she said, as well as a steam train, the former Armory building and several species of native birds.
Avgustinovich added that she took time to learn the area’s history before submitting the proposal, her second to the city. She said she did “lots of online research” in addition to communicating with locals knowledgeable about area nature and history.
“I believe that we should take care of nature,” she said. “It’s the only planet we have.”
Avgustinovich said her design was chosen from among three finalists.
On Monday, she was painting by herself. She previously said she did not have a staff.
“I’m excited,” she said, adding that other “people seem to be excited” as well.
Born in Belarus and now living in Maryland, Avgustinovich said she started painting in 2012. She said she got involved in the local art scene in part because she did not like the exclusivity of galleries.
“Murals are the closest to me,” she said.
Avgustinovich’s prior work, viewable at yulia-art.com, also draws on nature themes. A 2016 ground mural in Aurora, Colorado, spanned two city blocks and included assistance from locals to paint flowers and planes in honor of a regional aviation company. In Batesville, Indiana, her wall mural drew on similar concepts as the one she is painting in Oneonta by including local animals and architecture.
The Oneonta Common Council unanimously approved a $20,000 contract for the mural Aug. 4.