A California man ordered to hide his boat had the last laugh after he hired a painter to create a lifelike picture of it on the fence that blocks it.
In July, local government officials informed Etienne Constable of Seaside, California that he needed to build a 6-foot fence to conceal the boat from his neighbors' view.
In a playful jab at officialdom, Constable dutifully complied with the directive. The order did not mention how the fence should be decorated, so Constable hired the local artist Hanif Panni to paint a mural that covers the fence.
Constable told NBC affiliate KSBW of Monterey Bay, "I'm not a rule-breaker, but I like to make a political statement as necessary, as well as a humorous statement and a creative statement."
Although he claimed he had not heard anything from the city about the painting, he believed it was protected by the right to freedom of expression as enshrined in the First Amendment.
The image has caused a stir on social media and has been shared many times.
He responded that the reaction was much more than expected, and they both got a good laugh about it.
Panni, who works in areas over the Central Coast, told KSBW he was a big fan of public art in spaces. He explained that it engages people in ways that reaching out and having conversations does not sometimes.
Furthermore, the painter also mentioned that other boat owners have contacted him to ask if he can paint a similar painting on their boats after the Seaside boat mural went viral.
