Wyland to begin work Monday to restore 2 murals

Wyland plans to begin restoring the whale murals at Airport Center in Honolulu on Monday morning after reaching an agreement on contract terms with Hawaiian Airlines, the building’s owner.

The official start time is 8 a.m., he told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser on Friday, beginning with prep work for restoration of the two murals, which he originally painted in 1999 on two sides of the L-shaped building at 3049 Ualena St.

In an Instagram post he thanked the public for its support and invited anyone who would like to volunteer to check in at the site. He will be painting daily from 8 a.m. to sundown through Saturday until both murals are finished. He expects to be joined by more than 20 volunteers from the community, including art students.

“It’s all positive now,” he said. “I’m going to paint the murals and kind of teach and enjoy sharing.”

Wyland, a part-time North Shore resident, said he plans to add a few new marine animals to the two murals, named “Hawaiian Humpbacks” and “New Millennium,” including a Hawaiian monk seal, a manta ray and whale shark.