Internationally known street artist Odeith returns to Kentucky to create an epic Walking Dead mural on the side of the Rohs Opera House.
Last summer, Portuguese street artist Sergio Odeith left his mark on Lexington with what amounts to a bright, radiant smile in the city's east end neighborhood.
Commissioned and sponsored by Kentucky for Kentucky, the canary-yellow mural of Louis Armstrong he painted on the side of the Lighthouse Ministries Building has quickly become a cultural landmark and source of local pride.
Odeith returns to Kentucky next week to begin work on a new large-scale mural on the side of the historic Rohs Opera House in downtown Cynthiana.
Although this one has a darker, un-dead theme — commemorating The Walking Dead comic books and television series — the work carries the same spirit of celebration in recognizing two of the city's own. Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman and Tony Moore, the original artist on the comic series, are both from Cynthiana.
In the comic book series, lead character Rick Grimes and his family, along with fellow police deputy and best friend (at least until the zombie apocalypse hits) Shane, are also from Cynthiana.
Mark Spitz's Olympic swimsuit and Post-it notes are also both from Cynthiana, although are unlikely to make an appearance in the mural.
You never know, though. Odeith is tight-lipped about the details of his composition, other than to say that the finished mural will measure a whopping 100- by 25-feet and depict a key scene featuring core characters from the television series.
"Just an image from an episode where they were in trouble," he says. "I think the way they are looking will make a really cool painting."
Work is scheduled to take place June 28 through July 6 — plenty of time for Cynthiana's annual "Walking Dead Day" on August 6. A special celebration is scheduled for the evening of July 2 in downtown Cynthiana.
Odeith has been working in graffiti art and murals since the early 1990s and has created works around the globe, including another mural inspired by a popular AMC show, Breaking Bad, on the side of a high school near his home in Lisbon.
Kentucky for Kentucky is again bringing Odeith back to the Bluegrass State to create a Walking Dead mural for Cynthiana, and is co-sponsoring the project along with the Harrison County Community Foundation, the Cynthiana Arts Council, the Rohs Opera House, and many local businesses and residents through an ongoing GoFundMe campaign.
"Painting from a series like this in the U.S. is an amazing opportunity," Odeith says. "When [Kentucky for Kentucky co-founder] Griffin VanMeter told me about this project I was really excited."
Odeith is a huge fan of Kentucky.
"I never get tired of visiting," he says. "And of course I prefer to eat and drink in the south."
He's also a big-time Walking Dead fan.
"I remember when I saw the first episode and got addicted to the actors, especially the ones I'm painting in this mural. I'm as curious as anyone to see what will happen next season!"
To help support Cynthiana's Walking Dead mural project, visit gofundme.com/odeithcynthianamur
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