Project Description
Main Street Burlington, in cooperation with the City of Burlington, is excited to sponsor a new mural by artist Peter Bieling. Inspired by the concept “bring the river to the middle of downtown”, the mural is located at the Pocket park at the corner of West Union and High Street and feature a vintage river boat theme. As part of this project, the city repaired and refinished the shelter, benches, and wooden fencing. The Garden Club & Main Street strung decorative string lights above and around the Pocket Park. The mural was dedicated with a ribbon cutting ceremony with the mayor and the Bielings on July 17, 2020.
We sat down with artist Peter Bieling to discuss his background and his concept for the mural.
MSB: Peter, tell us a bit about your background as an artist and local resident.
Peter: I was born in the Netherlands and came to the US 60 years ago. I have a degree in Art from the University of NY at Oswego, and I’ve worked as an independent artist for 40 years. My wife Karen and I have five children. We moved to Florence, NJ in 1976. We’ve all been involved in the business at one time or another. In fact, my son started working with me about 20 years ago. We’ve painted murals and artistic signs from Boston to Florida, and locally our work can be seen at the Burlington diner, MAB building, Doc’s Pub, Burlington coat factory , Burlington County Auto Parts, and many more places throughout the city.
MSB: What is the inspiration for the Pocket Park mural?
Peter: I have always loved Burlington and enjoy doing work in our own neighborhood, and especially downtown. This mural depicts Burlington City by the river, which is the life blood of Burlington. I choose a time when the river played a greater part in the City, as a reminder of how important the riverfront is.
