Bay Ridge mural puts visitors in middle of forest

Turn the corner of Fifth Avenue at 90th Street and you will feel like you are no longer in Brooklyn. There, on the side wall of the Bright White Laundry building, is a realistic mural of an inviting forest. On a hot summer’s day, it’s a cool reminder of the power of nature.

The mural, which is still a work in progress, is being painted by Jenna Morello, an artist who lives in Bay Ridge.

The large work of art can be found on the 90th Street side of Bright White Laundry at 8923 Fifth Ave.

At first glance, the mural can be startling. Its size and scope are overpowering. The artwork takes up the entire wall and measures several feet high. It is so realistic, the viewer can almost feel what it must be like to go hiking in the woods and seek comfort under the shade of the trees.

Morello’s signature can be found in the lower left-hand corner of the mural.

Morello could not be reached for comment, but a fan who notified this newspaper about the mural said the artist obviously put a great deal of thought into the project before applying green paint to the building. “The green depth gets you lost among a copious amount of trees that separate at just the right placement so that the sun can illuminate through,” he said.

Morello, 32, who was born in New Jersey, is no stranger to the residents of Sunset Park, Bushwick, Staten Island and Manhattan. Her work has graced many walls in those neighborhoods. And she was recently one of several artists invited to paint murals at the World Trade Center.

Last year, this newspaper published an article focusing on Morello’s work in Sunset Park, including her eye-popping mural of a rose wrapped around a building on Third Avenue and 43rd Street. It is one of six murals in Sunset Park that she created.

“I’m a street artist and when it’s cold, I do galleries and stuff. But what I love to do is paint outside, so I’m lucky enough that I get paid for what I like to do,” she told reporter Jaime DeJesus at the time.

Earlier this year, she teamed up with another artist, named Fnnch, to paint a Honey Bear on the side of Tops, a restaurant supply store at 8001 Third Ave.

Morello’s work has also been on display in places like California, Arizona and Florida.

For more information on Morello, visit: www.jennamorello.com.

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