Local Life

Scene Around: Painting the Way to Spring

With every season, there is a reason … for a new mural to be painted on the side of Fair Haven Hardware.

That season now, of course, is spring and it’s enough reason for Rumson artist Jim Fitzmaurice to break out the vibrant-hued acrylics and make a creative beautification statement for all to take-in.

Talk about painting the town spring, so to speak …

The seasonal murals have become as much of a tradition at the longtime hardware store as Fitzmaurice’s status as a regular at the hometown spot full of good old-fashioned hardware and townie conversing.

When R-FH Retro caught up with him on Monday’s sign-of-spring warm afternoon, he was dabbling in the blues of the primed scene flush with sun, flowers, sailboats, butterflies and puffs of clouds over water — or something else to spring into.

Whatever it turns out to be, it’ll be an Fitzmaurice original designed to capture the spirit of the season known as the one of rebirth. And it’ll be there to stay until the summer scene blooms, because, after all, this tradition is no spring fling.

Townies’ love of this brush stroke of a tradition is here to stay and that’s bloomin’ great as most see it — literally. What’s the story in this mural scene? We’ll see …

— Photos/Elaine Van Develde, R-FH Retro