The faceless muse in the mural representing Hutchins Street Square has some in the Lodi community abuzz about why she was not finished. The mural — located on Church Street on the north side of the Fitness Pro at Pine Street — is slated to be finished by one of the Wall Dogs artists by the end of the month. (Jennifer M. Howell/News-Sentinel)

What's wrong with this picture?

Last unfinished downtown mural to be 'featured' by month's end

He sees her every day on his way to work, but all Jeff Anderson ever gets from the silent, toga-clad woman is a blank stare. Literally.

She's one of 22 ancient Greeks depicted in one of the most elaborate of the nine Wall Dogs murals in Lodi, and her mural is still unfinished, leaving the woman faceless. The painting is located near the intersection of Church and Pine streets, on the side of the Fitness Pro gym, where Anderson works.

"I want to go out there and draw a happy face on her," said Anderson, the marketing director for Fitness Pro.

The Wall Dogs, a group painters from all over the country, give cities a facelift by creating murals in a particular city every year. Murals often depict the town's history.

More than 100 Wall Dogs converged on Lodi on Memorial Day weekend to paint nine murals around the city, each focusing on a point in Lodi's 100-year history.

But in just three days, it was tough to complete the nine murals, and a few took some extra time to finish, including the mural on the parking garage, Farmers and Merchant Bank and the Greek-themed murals.

"We're not finished with it yet," said Tony Segale, a local sign artist who coordinated the Wall Dogs project. "It can be real tough trying to produce nine murals in a three-day weekend."

The mural's reddish-orange background represents the 1974 arson fire at Lodi High School, which used to stand at the mural's location, now known as Hutchins Street Square.

Besides the faceless woman, the mural awaits just a few more finishing touches, including a gold leaf border and additional facial features for the other ancient Greeks.

During the project, the Hutchins Street Square crew returned to the site one morning to discover that eight planks had been stolen from the scaffolding. Segale said the theft was a main reason for the delay.

Robin Wallenfang, the project leader for the mural, lives in Green Bay, and wasn't able to stay to complete the project. Segale expects her back to finish it before the end of the month.

The faceless muse in the mural representing Hutchins Street Square located on Church and Pine streets on the north side of the Fitness Pro is expected to be finished by the end of the month. (Jennifer M. Howell/News-Sentinel)

Efforts to reach Wallenfang were unsuccessful.

Donna Baxter works across the street from the mural at the Farmers and Merchants Bank Loan Service Center. Although she sees the mural every day, she never realized one woman's face is blank.

"Unless I was really over there just studying it, no, I wouldn't notice," she said.

And while one woman in the mural may not have a finished face, Segale was surprised to recognize a neighboring figure's face; it's his own.

"I did not know at all that was happening," said Segale. He said he appreciates the gesture, but admits it's a little strange to see his face on a downtown building. "If it was my call, I would've said: 'No, forget it.'"

Contact reporter Melissa Dahl at intern@lodinews.com.

First published: Thursday, July 6, 2006