9/11 mural in downtown Bonita Springs tribute to heroes, artist says
A patriotic and emotional scene is taking shape in the historic Old 41 Road district in Bonita Springs.
Laurent Dareau, a naturalized American citizen born in France, is working on a painting that will take up one exterior wall of the fire station in the city's downtown.
When finished, the mural will depict scenes related to the hero firefighters of 9/11, the deadly Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks in the United States.
On Friday, Dareau was at the site, creating.
Wearing a shirt and green camouflage pants, Dareau stood on scaffolding — a small umbrella protecting him from the summer sun — and brought his mural to life one brushstroke at a time.
Firefighters in New York City rushed toward the World Trade Center and danger to save lives, said Dareau.
“For me, it is an amazing opportunity to express my feelings about the firemen and their dedication,” he said. “They walked into the towers knowing they might never come back, but they still did it.”
The mural depicts the twin towers, firefighters and American flags and the emotions of that historic day.
Dareau said he plans to add pieces of broken mirrors to make the piece sparkle at night, like the stars.
“The idea is to have something magic,” he said. “I really want to give back to the community because it is real important to me.”
Remembering 9/11 is important to Dareau, he said. In 2011 he did a video project and painting to honor that day.
“Kids today, and even those 18 or 20 years old, they don’t’ really know,” he said. “They don’t know what it meant for the country to lose so many people in one day.”
Fire Chief Joseph Daigle stood in the scorching heat to watch Dareau paint.
“It’s unbelievable isn’t it?” Daigle said. “He does it all by eye. To make the body fit the head that is a real talent. He does it so fast too and the details are incredible. It is absolutely incredible.”
Daigle hopes the mural is just the beginning of this tribute to 9/11 in downtown Bonita Springs.
“We want to eventually, slowly create this into a nice green space park with the added benefit of it being a destination,” he said. “The board of fire commissioners is committed to helping the downtown development.”
Assistant Chief Greg DeWitt, who sits on the city council, said plans for the mural began a couple of years ago when the city of Bonita Springs talked to the fire district about a possible mural on the side of the station.
“They introduced us to this artist and he gave us some renditions,” DeWitt said. “It is our station and we wanted poetic license on what went there, so we decided to do it on our own.”
DeWitt said they paid Dareau about $8,000 for the work.
Dareau was born in Paris and grew up in rural central France.
“There was nothing, so I grew up on videos and Disney,” he said. “When I was a kid I wanted to be like Walt Disney.”
Dareau studied for four years at the National Art School in Lyon and then five years at École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris.
The artist moved to Los Angeles 14 years ago and now lives in West Palm Beach. He became a United States citizen last year.
He has taught art at the Art League of Bonita Springs and the Alliance for the Arts in Fort Myers.
Dareau said he has painted more than 600 portraits during the past 14 years but feels especially close to his patriotic work.
“For me, it is more than the mural. I want to make a memory,” he said. “I want to keep that place alive. The idea is to make it a memorial. I want to make it a work in progress. I want to make this a place with surprises, all the time with new things.”