By Liz Holland

A large drab exterior wall of Evolution Craft Brewing Co. that was exposed when a row of loblolly pine trees was removed along South Salisbury Boulevard is being transformed by mural artists Brandon Bell and Deserea Martin with an Eastern Shore-themed design.

The couple, who are partners in life as well as business, have already primed the wall, marked it with a six-section grid and have started applying color. The design will include a crab as well as hops, which is used in beer making.

The couple teamed up with artist Pedro Mule on the project.

“Taking his digital design and turning it into a large-scale mural is a dream come true for us as working with other artists has always been a goal of ours,” they said in a Facebook post.

They have been working on the 140-foot-by-28-foot wall early in the morning and then into the evening to avoid the heat of the afternoon.

“We started adding color today!” they said in a May 28 Facebook post. “Section 1 is looking to be complete within the next few days. Drive by to see the progress!”

Starting in the area closest to the entrance, the work is being done in 4-foot sections. It will probably take another 30 to 45 days to complete, Martin said.

Work on the project was delayed slightly when the couple found out the bucket lift they hired was encroaching in the railroad right of way that runs parallel to the building. It has since been replaced with a scissor lift. The couple also had to deal with ground along the side of the building that isn’t level as well as delays due to rain.

“It’s been tricky,” Martin said.

Toward the end of the project, part of the mural will be left undone and the community will be invited in to help paint the last portion, she said.

Bell and Martin, who own We Are Limitless Studios, are best known for their Believe mural that was completed three years ago on the East Market Street building owned by Delmarva Veteran Builders owner Chris Eccleston.

Prior to that, neither Bell or Martin had ever tackled a mural, but Eccleston had seen their artwork and contacted them with his vision. In the end, he gave them carte blanche to do what they wanted.

The mural that starts in shades of gray depicts a young girl – the couple’s daughter who is now 8 – blowing the fluff of a dandelion that turns into flowers in rainbow colors.

Martin was 7 months pregnant at the time with her third child, working on a scissor lift.

“That’s how I started my mural career,” she said.