Behold a brand-new mural with an eye-catching design and a colorful backstory, now unveiled at Port of Entry in Universal Islands of Adventure!
This splashy new addition is the result of a creative collaboration between Universal Creative and Universal Orlando Resort Facilities teams, and it all began with an idea from Jodie Meade, graphic designer with Universal Creative Placemaking.
“I went into the park and looked at all the murals out there,” she says. “Port of Entry is a melting pot of different places and people, and they bring all their stuff together. The murals are basically advertisements for the goods and services offered by the locals that live there.”
With the mural located beside the newly renovated restrooms near the theme park’s exit, Jodie knew she wanted to lean into a water-themed concept with a nod to the Pharos Lighthouse.
“I was playing around with different words for water, and I like French,” she says. “I always like to throw in a pun where I can. I was wondering how I could incorporate ‘eau de toilette,’ which is perfume. Since Pharaoh’s lighthouse is tall and skinny, I thought it would be funny if it was a perfume bottle.”
From there, the concept clicked and the idea flowed naturally from inspiration to illustration. The final design is centered around a colorful lighthouse topped with a perfume nozzle. Text above the bottle, which looks to be written on an aged scroll of paper, reads “Îles De L’aventure Eau De Toilette Spray Since 1999,” a reference to the theme park’s opening year.
The artwork features waves that complement the existing Port of Entry Water Works Authority mural, which also received a refreshed coat of paint during this process. Jodie explains it’s important to maintain the integrity of the original painting to honor its longstanding history in the park, and to ensure the new mural blends seamlessly.
“I referenced a lot of older files from original Port of Entry facility drawings to try to find what colors they used, and manually matched them as closely as I could,” she says.
Helping Jodie with color selection and execution is painter Heidi Scheumann. Heidi has been a Team Member for over 23 years, starting in attractions operations before becoming a scenic painter 14 years ago. She and Jodie worked together to pick out the best shades to match both the design intent and existing colors in the area.
“Heidi came to our office and I had all my prints and color swatches for her to see,” Jodie says. “She brought swatches too, and we went over the whole mural to make sure she understood where I wanted the colors, and that I understood what the finished product would look like.”
Once it’s time to start painting, Heidi takes the drawing and projects it on the wall before outlining the image in a soft charcoal pencil. Referencing the notes discussed with Jodie, she’ll start applying the base colors before building up the shading and other details.
“I’ll blend the colors together so they’re not just harsh lines, and I’ll age down the banner to give it some depth,” Heidi explains. “I’ll have Jodie come out and approve things as I go.”
Jodie says the result was even better than she originally envisioned: “I was blown away when I first saw it after just one night [of painting]. Heidi made it come to life on the wall — she’s so good!”
This project smells like a big success to me! Make sure to check out the mural during your next exploration of Port of Entry.
What do you think of the new mural? Do you have a favorite easter egg in Port of Entry? Let us know in the comments below!
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