GLENS FALLS — Eric Unkauf had another mural approved by the Glens Falls Planning Board on Tuesday.
The owner of The Shirt Factory applied for a mural to be painted on the exposed concrete section of wall on the south side of 18 Curran Lane, where Rock Hill Bakehouse and Cafe is located.
The application for the mural indicates that the size of the mural will be 4 feet by 130 feet, which Unkauf said is the length of that section of exposed concrete.
The mural will be painted by Amber Lannutti, cafe manager at Rock Hill. She said that her intention is to paint the flowers that butterflies are attracted to that are native to the state, and butterflies that migrate to the state.
The sketch from Amber Lannutti that was submitted to the Glens Falls Planning Board for approval. Lannutti said one part of the mural that isn’t included in the early sketch that she intends to pursue while painting is informational text.
One thing that wasn’t a part of her original sketch that she has to clear with Unkauf is the possibility of making the mural more educational.
“I might, I’m going to check with Matt (Funiciello) or Eric (Unkauf), put names, like what the flower is, and maybe some informational stuff,” she said.
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Unkauf said that the idea behind the mural is to maintain a good-looking appearance when the garden at the property is no longer in bloom.
“The butterfly garden probably looks good in May-ish, June, July and August. Then stuff starts to die off. By the time you get to October it just looks like a bunch of dead crap in a bed,” he said with a chuckle.
Lannutti said that the mural will be completed by the winter.
She said that she wants to get it up as soon as she can in the fall for people to enjoy during the winter months. She said that she doesn’t expect the mural to take her longer than a month or so.
Work on the mural will not get started until the weather starts to get cooler. Unkauf said that this is because of the plants that are growing on the property.
“To do it now you’d kind of have to start hacking away a lot of stuff that’s blooming to have enough room to kind of work in there,” he said.
Unkauf said that a lot what has been planted would be considered weeds by people in their home gardens.
But he said it serves as butterfly food.
“The milkweed and stuff, that’s the monarch butterfly’s full life cycle. They eat the plant as a caterpillar, and then they get the nectar as a butterfly. … Where that’s a weed for most people, that’s like the monarch butterfly’s sole source of sustenance,” Unkauf said.
Lannutti said that she doesn’t plan on getting started with her mural until Esmond Lyons is finished painting his mural at 153 Maple St., which Unkauf got approved by the Planning Board in April.
Lannutti said that the intention behind putting the butterfly garden in place at Rock Hill was to provide a beautiful outdoor space.
Other ideas were talked about on how to make the outdoor space more visually appealing while advertising the cafe. Lunnatti said that there is a large metal sign in the works as well.
The grey concrete lower section of the wall at Rock Hill Bakehouse and Cafe will have a mural painted by cafe manager Amber Lannutti this fall. The mural will depict a nature scene with flowers that are native to the state that attract butterflies, along with butterflies that are native to the state.
“It’s going to be like a metal carved huge sign,” she said.
Lannutti was sitting outside of the cafe with Unkauf and Matt Funiciello, owner of Rock Hill. She said she mentioned the idea of somebody painting a mural of a butterfly garden.
She said Unkauf’s eyes lit up and he was immediately on board with the idea. Lannutti just didn’t realize that she would be the person painting the mural.
But she loves the idea of adding more artwork to the city.
“I just think there should be murals everywhere,” Lannutti said. “Glens Falls is such an artistic community from the people that I know.”
Rock Hill was recently recognized by the Pollinator Pathway program as a part of the monarch butterfly’s migration path. The program is aimed to help defragment the environment and create a clear path for pollinating insects.
Lannutti said that a plaque of recognition is in the mail.
The Planning Board approved the mural on the condition that it be preserved by the owner of the property. Unkauf said that he doesn’t expect that to be an issue.
Back in April he had another mural approved by the board to be painted at 153 Maple St. — a large 20-foot by 30-foot mural of two artists painting the Rembrandt work “Christ With Arms Folded” that can be found at The Hyde Collection. Lyons is tasked with painting that mural.
Unkauf ordered a silicate-based paint that chemically bonds to the surface it is used on. A brochure that Unkauf presented to the Planning Board in April claims that the paint will last for 100 years.
He ordered paint for Lannutti’s mural at the same time.
Jay Mullen is a reporter for The Post-Star covering the city of Glens Falls, Warren County and crime and courts. You can reach him at 518-742-3224 or [email protected].
