Artist Roland Ruocco’s mural on the Eagle’s Nest Restaurant on Pine Island. Photo by Roland Ruocco

According to local artist Roland Ruocco, the Lee County Visitors Convention Bureau approached the Fort Myers Mural Society asking to partner on several murals to be painted in an effort to stoke local tourism in the wake of Hurricane Ian. One of the locations, which was recently completed, was on Pine Island, at the Eagle’s Nest Restaurant.

The mural, Ruocco said, is Pine Island-themed with an array of local activities.

“The project took about three and a half weeks to do. It was a good amount of work, but, as always, it was a labor of love. I had some assistance from a local artist, Doug Steward,” Ruocco said.

The Fort Myers Mural Society, Ruocco explained, has several artists, including himself, who do quite a few projects. The Lee County Visitors Convention Bureau has four locations where they plan to have murals painted, including the one on Pine Island. He and three other artists will collaborate on another upcoming project, he said.

“They want to do more murals. They’re very happy with the result of this one — because they’re so pleased, they want to do more,” Ruocco said of the Lee County Visitors Convention Bureau.

Ruocco himself said he was very happy for the opportunity to paint this beautiful tribute depicting the resiliency of Pine Island.

“I’m happy to invite visitors to come and see how beautiful the island is,” Ruocco said.

To contact Ruocco, call 954-829-2832 or email Rolandruocco@gmail.com. You can also check out his website at RolandRuocco.com.