The Willis Avenue mural is being reborn, and to ensure the painter’s safety, the southernmost of the eastbound lanes of traffic is closed in front of the mural space.

Public Works Director James Hall estimates the closure should be in place, weather permitting, for about four months. He said that the funding for the project would come out of the Bogalusa’s Centennial Fund, and not the regular budget.

Painter Wes Parker was hard at work Friday. He said the new mural would depict a “swamp scene with cypress trees, water, and wildlife. And it will have the city’s pine tree logo in the center.”

Hall said the city has been working with Parker, who lives in Bush, for a couple of months to decide what the mural would depict.

“I’ve drawn all my life and I’ve been doing murals for about two and a half years,” Parker said. “I submitted several sketches, and they decided on the swamp scene.”

Daily News reporter Marcelle Hanemann wrote this story.