Complete! Check out the new, gigantic ocean-themed mural at Marbles

Raleigh artist Denise Hughes painted the huge mural to reflect the themes of Splash, the ocean and water exhibit. Hughes also has done other murals at Marbles before, including the original octopus mural in Splash, which remains.

Posted 1:44 p.m. Mar 11, 2018 — Updated 1:44 p.m. Mar 11, 2018

Sarah Lindenfeld Hall

, Go Ask Mom editor

A couple of weeks ago, I shared a little preview of the massive mural that's taken over the area next to the pirate ship at Marbles Kids Museum near the Splash and Seedlings exhibits.

Raleigh artist Denise Hughes painted the huge mural to reflect the themes of Splash, the ocean and water exhibit. Hughes also has done other murals at Marbles before, including the original octopus mural in Splash, which remains.

Hughes took three weeks to complete the mural, which required her, at times, to stand high up on an elevated platform. The ocean-themed piece includes a far-off pirate ship, a crocodile, a monkey swinging on a palm tree and lots of sky and wave scenes.

"Working on the mural at Marbles didn’t really feel like work!" Hughes tells me. "It was such a joy to hear the kids making up story lines every time I added a new element."

Hughes shared some of the process in this video on her YouTube page. Can't wait to check it out in person!

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