Stamped on wall, artistic postcard highlights Sandusky

SANDUSKY — Despite painting a supersize postcard, they're not mailing it in.Rather three traveling artists are carefully designing a vibrant creation they're stamping on a wall to liven up Sandusky's downtown business district.Work continues on a mural helping to transform the Sandusky State Theatre's rear exterior brick facade overlooking Jackson Street and its parking lot.Students from Sandusky Schools stand in front of the new mural in downtown Sandusky on Thursday, Sept. 21, 2017.Undertaking the public art project: Greetings Tour's artists Lisa Beggs and Victor Ving. They crisscross the U.S. in an RV and have created "large letter" postcards in close to 30 different cities. They ideally want to paint murals in all 50 states.Wherever they stop, each project — inspired by design elements reminiscent of a time frame between the 1930s and 1950s — features a specific city's name and highlights landmark images synonymous with that particular area.For instance, the Sandusky concept incorporates Cedar Point's roller coaster-filled skyline, a Lyman boat, the theater's marquee and The Boy with the Boot."I just personally like the challenge of painting something completely new each time," said Ving, who, with Beggs and Dominic Corry, started the mural project on Monday. It should conclude by this weekend during the North Coast Oktoberfest festival. "Personally, I would get bored painting the same thing over and over."Artists Victor Ving and Lisa Beggs answer questions from Sandusky City Schools students on Thursday, Sept. 21, 2017, at the Sandusky State Theatre. They run Greetings Tour and travel across the U.S. to create murals in various cities.He and Beggs — who, after finishing up in Sandusky, plan on heading to Atlanta for a similar project — appreciate how locals are embracing their mural concept.For instance, about 40 Sandusky Schools students took a field trip Thursday morning to witness firsthand the illustration. They also listened to a brief presentation from city manager Eric Wobser about the mural's significance."Public art helps us to make a statement that we are a creative and dynamic city," Wobser said. "It also helps inspire our citizens, particularly our youngest citizens, and tells them that Sandusky is a place that will nurture their own creativity."Sandusky city manager Eric Wobser and Sandusky State Theatre executive director Chris Parthemore explain the importance of public art to Sandusky Schools students on Thursday, Sept. 21, 2017, in downtown Sandusky.