Richmond artist Olga Pastuchiv recently completed a nine-panel mural in the children’s area at Curtis Memorial Library featuring marine life found off the shores of Brunswick and Harpswell, the two communities served by the library.
The mural was commissioned by the family of the late Susan S. Dattilo, a Chicago-area woman who worked in and loved libraries. Dattilo visited Maine annually for 20 years before her passing.
Pastuchiv’s work is featured throughout Curtis Memorial Library. It includes the butterfly murals surrounding the Nancy Bouchard Laffely Children’s Garden, as well as more than 20 small, whimsical illustrations found throughout the library as part of an art treasure hunt enjoyed by visitors of all ages.
“I was honored to be asked to paint this mural in memory of a special person who loved libraries, in a library that means so much to me,” Pastuchiv said. “I also feel so lucky to have been able to work with Senior Library Assistant Clint McDowell, who took the initiative to create a wonderful key to accompany the mural — identifying the marine life in each panel, complete with their Latin names.”
“We knew Olga was the perfect person for this special project,” said Assistant Director and Youth Services Manager Pam Jenkins. “The Dattilo family was looking for an artist with classic sensibilities. Olga’s colorful likenesses beautifully convey the region’s marine life in a way that invites both children and adults to lean in to get a closer look at the fine details and descriptions of her work.”
Pastuchiv is an author as well as a painter and illustrator. In 2022, she co-wrote the children’s book “Ada and the Galaxies” with bestselling author and part-time Harpswell resident Alan Lightman, about stargazing on an island in Maine. She wrote and illustrated the children’s book “Minas and the Fish” in 1997, and is currently working on a picture book for Neal Porter Books.
A graduate of Vassar College, Pastuchiv also studied at the Massachusetts College of Art. Her colorful and imaginative art is primarily in woodcuts, acrylics and oils. Her subject matter is often aquatic. Her artwork has been exhibited and positively received in art galleries throughout Maine, at Harvard and Cornell universities, and at many other venues in the U.S. and Europe.
The mural may be viewed anytime the library is open — Monday-Thursday from 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. Curtis Memorial Library is located at 93 Pleasant St. in Brunswick.
