Summer – The Meeting

Summer, the last piece of artist David Guin’s original Seasons series of murals, was painted adjacent to Mario Lanza Park in the Queen Village neighborhood of South Philadelphia.

Guinn extended the lush colors of a park in summer into the mural design. A portion of Mario Lanza Park is set aside for dogs, and Rocky, a neighborhood dog is featured in the mural. Rocky won his spot on the wall during a community meeting to discuss the mural design. When flyers went up advertising the portrait of Rocky, some non-dog-owning neighbors guessed that Summer was to include a portrait of Rocky Balboa, not Rocky the dog. To the relief (or disappointment) of Queen Village residents, Balboa is not featured on the wall.

Summer was the last of Guinn’s original Seasons series. The artist brought together elements of his previous walls, into his final design, including some of the animals pictured in the landscape.