Off Main Road in Southold is a wall art mural. Framed by a budding tree and bursting with neutral flowers and little details made of wood is a message of hope— “All you need is love.”
The mural is the brainchild of Ricky Saetta, a North Fork based artist who works primarily with wood, and Lori Guyer, owner of White Flower Farmhouse. A few months ago, the two were discussing a new front signage for the store.
“Ricky was walking around the building with me,” Guyer said. “He took a look at that big blank wall and asked if I would consider something on that wall.” Soon after that conversation, restrictions were put in place due to COVID-19.
“This quiet time allowed me to really think about so many things,” she continued. “The North Fork is a really special place and Southold always takes care of those in need in the community. I wanted to put a positive message out there and something beautiful to share.”
Guyer knew and loved Saetta’s previous work, and hired him to create signage when she took over the shop next door.
“I knew this project was in good hands and I trusted his creative process,” she said. “I stepped back and let Ricky come up with the design.”
Guyer sourced most of the wood for the project from old wooden scraps she had in her storage room, and Saetta filled in with driftwood he had collected from the Sound.
“My vision was for an abundance of flowers made with salvaged wood,” Guyer said. “It was Ricky’s idea to make it a place that people could take a picture of themselves with. I envisioned a garden with an arbor that you could stand under.”
Saetta used the unique qualities of the wood to give detail to the mural.
“I tried to give each flower its own personality, not using color but with texture and wood choice,” he wrote in a post on Instagram. “There’s so much detail that it needs to be seen up close in person to truly appreciate.”
But the message of the mural is clear.
“What I hope people take away from this is a very simple message,” she said. “We are all here for each other and there is nothing more important than love.”
To see the art installation in person, head on over to White Flower Farmhouse in Southold, and check out the side of the building on Beckwith Avenue.
53995 Main Rd, Southold, 765-2353
