Man gets back at city by painting mural of boat on the side of his fence in Monterey, CA

A Monterey County man who was told to get his boat out of public view did as the city asked, but then he had an artistic epiphany.

In response to the city ordinance, Etienne Constable built a fence and had his neighbor paint a photo-realistic version of the boat on the fence. Pictures of the mural have since gone viral online.

Constable mentioned that in 2023 he received a letter from the city instructing him to build a 6-foot fence to conceal his boat from public view. Adhering to the directive, Constable collaborated creatively with his neighbor, an artist, to construct a fence featuring a lifelike boat mural.

The owner and the artist who made the painting happen were profoundly surprised at how big of a reaction the painting received.

"The reaction is extremely more than we expected, and we were just tickled about it. It's pretty cool," Constable said.

Artist Hanif Panni, known for his murals around the central coast, strongly advocates for art in public spaces and loves creating such works. Since the painting became a viral sensation, other homeowners who have received similar letters from the city have reached out to Panni to create murals at their homes.

"I love creating public art in spaces, Panni told KSBW. "I think it engages people in ways that reaching out and having conversations doesn't sometimes. Or if you are not there, it just kind of inspires conversation."