An osprey taking flight is the edition to a City of Leesburg vision to be more creative and to showcase the natural beauty of the region. The bird, pictured in natural habitat at Lake Harris, was painted on the wall of the Duke Energy substation, along the busy US Highway 27 corridor. 

Muralist Wesley Stout began working on the two-phase project in June 2019 beginning with a sunrise depiction of a fisherman on the lake with a bald eagle flying overhead. He started the first phase last summer and now has a smaller 10-by-72-foot section of wall to complete. 

“My number one thing to do is to get in a boat on the lake and watch the sun come up,” Wesley says in a press release. “The public will see that the mural reflects the beauty of Venetian Gardens.” 

The mural was commissioned by the Leesburg Center for the Arts with funding from the City of Leesburg and whole-hearted approval from Duke Energy which provided the “canvas” for the project which is part of a community public art initiative. 

“This mural so perfectly depicts the natural beauty of Venetian Gardens, our community icon,” adds Leesburg Center for the Arts Executive Director Maria Stefanovic. “We are thrilled to have generous partners in the City of Leesburg and Duke Energy as the Center for the Arts works to promote local artists.” 

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The Leesburg Center for the Arts strives to promote growth and vitality to the community by providing educational opportunities in the arts for all ages, providing cultural events for the community and providing a central location which attracts talented artists, artisans, musicians and appreciative audiences.