PORTLAND, Maine — If you have walked through downtown Portland lately, you might have noticed an uptick in murals around the city.
The vibrant designs have popped up on electrical boxes, the exteriors of old buildings, and even cover some of the public restrooms.
The works of art were all created and designed by Jared Goulette, also known as "The Color Wizard."
Goulette grew up in Vermont but attended the Maine College of Art and Design. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in graphic design in 2011.
"I did a ton of painting while I was there and when I got out I really wanted to pursue painting full-time, but I still could use my graphic design degree to create all the design renders that I do for each project," Goulette said. "I could do a little bit of both and get messy as well, which is really important to me, I didn't get to do that much in the graphic design studio."
Goulette said he has spray painted between 200 and 300 murals so far. His most recent projects have been painting the exteriors of the new public bathrooms in Portland's Payson Park, but his designs can be found all around the state.
The Blue Jay pictured below is painted on the exterior of a building in Lewiston.
You might ask yourself, 'How does he do that?'
Goulette said he starts with a very light outline to get an idea of where the colors are supposed to go and then fills in the design one section at a time.
"Sometimes it's not relaxing, it totally depends on the design," Goulette said, as he painted the bathroom in Payson Park. "Really complex stuff takes a lot more focus, but this is really playful, and the nice sort of liquidy lines are really a lot of fun to paint, so I definitely have enjoyed this, and this park is a really nice area to hang out in."
Goulette's business, The Color Wizard, has taken off as more and more people have seen his work. His projects have taken him all over New England. He said the work itself isn't the only rewarding part of the job.
"Murals are more like an experience and people seem to really like that," Goulette said. "I love it when people come up and tell me what they see in the murals because it's always different and I really enjoy that everybody gets to interpret the artwork a little bit differently. And hearing people’s opinions is really cool, I really enjoy that it has an impact on other people as well as myself."
You can check out more of Goulette's artwork on his Instagram page.