Waterfront Mural Takes Shape in Keyport

KEYPORT, NJ - Autumn leaves have started to fall in the seaside town of Keyport, but a local artist is helping to bring a little bit of summer to the town all year long.

Muralist Nussara Cregan has been commissioned by the Keyport Neighborhood Preservation Project to paint an updated map of "Historic Keyport" on the side of The Hope Chest collectibles store (located at the corner of West Front Street and Main Street). She has been working on the project since late June.

“Between the extreme heat of summer, the rain, and now the cold weather coming... I'm at the mercy of Mother Nature,” says Nussara. "Whatever I can’t finish this fall I will have to continue in the spring.”

A resident of Keyport for 17 years, Nussara also owns a local business called Wondrous Walls. She first discovered Keyport approximately 20 years ago, when she was living in Manhattan. Nussara had come to visit a friend in New Jersey and stopped for lunch at a diner in Keyport.

“After lunch, I walked down to the bay and saw all the beautiful sailboats out on the water and I fell in love with the view,” Nussara recalls. “Soon after that trip I moved to Keyport.”

Nussara’s love for the town is evident in her artwork. Visitors can already see some personalized touches painted into the mural—such the boat launch and some of her neighbors’ cars.

A few more hidden treasures are in store as well.

“I don’t want to spoil the surprise,” says Nussara. “You’ll have to stay tuned and find out for yourself.”