New mural brightens up Rae Town

Charmaine Forbes smiled brightly as passers-by, some in motor vehicles, slowed to admire her handy work that adorns a wall at the entrance to the Rae Town Fishing Village on Friday afternoon.

Forbes, who is one of the streets artists painting the mural, told THE STAR that she feels honoured to be a part of the colourful initiative.

"It is roughly four of us who started painted two weeks ago, and we have reached a far way. I feel really good to be a part of this project as I live in downtown Kingston and I love to see how the place is getting a facelift through art," Forbes said.

"These wall art not only beautify the place but attract a lot of persons to the area. I am happy to be part of this," she added.

The creation of the mural forms part of the Government's 'Paint the City, Paint the Town' project, which seeks to generate employment through beautification, mural painting and street-sign installation. It also compliments a major infrastructural project that has been undertaken in the downtown area. That initiative , which has been dubbed the Port Royal Street Coastal Revetment Project, has seen the widening of the road and the installation of a boardwalk from Rae Town to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade building on Port Royal Street.

The 50-odd-year-old Forbes told THE STAR that she has only been painting for little over a year. She said that she has been enjoying her time on the project.

"I wanted to learn something new and something more. I used to do other stuff like dressmaking and so on. I could do a little thing when I was younger but after I start having children, I put it aside to focus on them and then I just start it up back. I have worked on other projects around Kingston and I really enjoy doing it," she said.

Donald, a resident of Rae Town, said that the mural, coupled with the widened road and new boardwalk, have brightened the community and should make it more appealing to visitors.

"It make di place really look good. When people all a come from airport dem will have a reason to admire over these side. My only issue is that mi hope nobody nuh come build up any fence and ugly up di ting. Mi nuh expect anyone to come nasty up di wall because it is a good look," he said.