CROWN HEIGHTS — A local artist has a bright new mural on what he hopes will become a rotating public art space.
Artist and illustrator Mike Perry painted the new work over the holiday weekend on a pair of wooden doors that lead to an empty lot on Bergen Street between Classon and Franklin avenues. The art says "CROWN HEIGHTS" in big blue letters on a taxi-yellow background covered in images of people, buildings, plants and animals.
“It’s a nice, sunny day and they’re hanging out in this bright yellow field,” Perry said.
Perry — whose colorful, wobbly illustrations were recently featured on the city-based Comedy Central show "Broad City" — and the owner of the lot have talked about using the previously blank space for local artists, Perry said. Going forward, he will invite a new painter to recreate the mural every few months to “have a good time and bring some art to the neighborhood,” he said.
Perry has worked in Crown Heights for eight years at a studio a block away from the new mural, creating a diverse array of artwork for exhibits, books, magazines and advertisements. He previously made street art on the construction site of what is now 341 Eastern Parkway and a mural on the playground of P.S. 22/P.S. 705.
“I’m pretty into the neighborhood,” Perry said. “I like doing this stuff. I like being here. I like being a part of it.”
