In early August, a new mural showing an historic scene of the Portland waterfront was unveiled on Custom House Wharf. Fishermen and members of the public involved in protecting the city’s remaining working waterfront properties attended. The 8-by-10-foot mural by Portland artist Timothy Goldkin, Ramble More Design, is located at the corner of Custom House Wharf and Commercial Street on the side of Casco Variety. The image, housed in the Library of Congress, shows sailing vessels berthed between Custom House Wharf and Portland Pier early in the 20th century.
Photos courtesy of Timothy Goldkin.
“This mural is more than a public work of art; it’s a window to our past and an attempt to help preserve our future by reminding us of the invaluable contributions of our seafaring forebearers and those still working on the water today,” Goldkin stated in a press release at the time.
Creating the mural and getting permission to install it was a personal mission for Goldkin, who grew up in Portland. “I’d imagined the piece for a couple of years. Then I asked Maggie [Donovan, owner of Casco Variety] about doing it and she said fine. I had to get a permit from the Portland Historic Preservation Board and then I applied for grants,” Goldkin said. “I didn’t get any.”
Goldkin works primarily as a print maker, creating a variety of printed images on metal and other mediums using alternative printing processes. He also has a longstanding interest in history, particularly that of Portland. As he quickly admits, as an artist he likes to dabble in other forms of expression and so he has ventured into mural making.
Many months after unsuccessfully applying for grants to fund the mural, Goldkin was talking with the executive director of Tempo Arts, an arts organization in Portland. She encouraged Goldkin to put together a sponsorship packet to solicit financial help from local businesses. “I took it around and five businesses bought in,” Goldkin said. “And then I got a Maine Arts Commission grant this winter.”
To create the large mural, he built three wooden panels to attach to the building. He treated each with an exterior grade glue then laid thin sheets of paper upon which the image had been digitally printed in sections onto the panels. “The tiles of paper have folds, wrinkles in them. It’s an organic moment that adds texture to the composition,” Godkin said. He applied 15 layers of varnish onto the panels to seal them from the elements. Godkin also made the frame for the large mural out of wood that he’d aged and weathered.
The installation is part of Goldkin’s broader initiative to bring historical artworks into public spaces across Maine, fostering community engagement and preserving local heritage. He is particularly concerned about the city’s working waterfront. “I’m an outsider in the fine art world,” Goldkin said cheerfully. “I just wanted this to be here.”
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