OLD IRVING PARK — What's this we're hearing about a silent jumbo jet that has North Siders smiling instead of speed-dialing the O'Hare noise complaint hotline or reaching for their ear plugs?
Has Boeing answered the prayers of the FAiR Coalition and invented a new form of air travel?
Sorry, no. This jet's a work of art.
"Jumbo Jet," completed at the end of August, is the title of the newest mural in Old Irving Park. It graces a formerly blank 17-foot wall adjacent to Pulaski Road and the Irving Park Road underpass.
The whimsical drawing — featuring a high-flying elephant that hitches a ride on a zeppelin — is the latest piece of public art created by Tony Passero, who's painted more than a dozen murals on walls stretching from Avondale to Rogers Park.
Any connection between the mural and the jet roar that's plagued North Siders since 2013, when O'Hare introduced a new runway configuration, is purely coincidental, Passero said.
"Jumbo Jet" incorporates concepts Passero dreamed up for other murals that never came to fruition. Only by pure happenstance is the wall decorated with an elephant-zeppelin mash-up instead of a giraffe being transported via submarine.
As a passenger on a recent O'Hare-bound flight, Passero found himself looking for familiar sights along the landing path — Wrigley Field, the Chicago River, Schurz High School and Independence Park.
After clearing his idea for the mural with the Old Irving Park Association, Passero approached Ald. John Arena's (45th) office and worked with arts liaison Cyd Smilie to obtain the necessary permission.
Now that "Jumbo Jet" is complete, Passero is on the prowl for a wall suitable for a seaworthy giraffe.
"I'm always looking at walls and spaces while driving around our city," he said. "When I see one that is open, I file it away and often create sketches or paintings for the wall. I probably have an idea for every wall or space I see."
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