His groovy and colorful pool murals have made Norwalk, CT, resident Weverson Ponte somewhat of an Instagram celebrity, but his rise to Internet fame and his bourgeoning pool painting business called Mad Pool Murals are just part of a lifetime of creativity for this local artist.
With a drive to always be creative and unique, Ponte was destined to an artistic life. “I was very intrigued with the concept of turning a creative thought that sparks in our mind into something tangible and physical that other people could experience,” he says. That drive inspired the Norwalk resident to get his master’s degree in architecture. “But I still didn’t consider myself an artist,” says Ponte. It wasn’t until sometime after moving back to Norwalk and embarking on a project called Emotion Explosion that he found his true passion.
The project brought together 12 local artists to paint fear-related artwork in a condemned house with the intention of “demolishing” the fears along with the real demolition of the house. It was during this project that Ponte realized he loved painting large-scale murals and that projects that connect him to his community were inspiring and uplifting.
Since then, Ponte has done several large mural works and has been commissioned by private clients and businesses to paint canvases and wall murals.
It was just last year, in 2022, when he painted his first pool with two artist friends, Jessica Ortega and Sketch. “As an artist, I’m always looking for weird and creative projects to immerse myself in, and the thought of painting a pool always sounded so cool to me,” says Ponte. The owner of the pool had seen a large mural Ponte had painted in Norwalk and reached out to him to see if he would do his pool. The client’s only request was to make it bright and colorful. Knowing that water would distort the image, he filled the floor of the pool with organic, colorful shapes that resemble a lava lamp. The project went viral on Instagram with more than 1.1 million likes.
Most recently, a homeowner in Austin, TX, commissioned his latest pool project. Although she loved the whimsical nature of his work, she wanted the colors toned down and asked for only blues and greens. “Being that they are in Austin, she also wanted me to incorporate the Texas Longhorn and the city’s motto, Stay Weird,” says Ponte.
Painting a pool has an added level of challenge compared to a mural. The artwork has to stand up to chlorine or salt water. He begins with a base coat of epoxy pool paint. Then sprays his artwork on. Then he seals the pool mural with clear epoxy pool paint. The process works equally well for saltwater or chlorinated pools and can actually help seal small cracks in an aging pool and protect the surface from damage and algae growth, according to his website, madpoolmurals.com.
Ponte hopes to paint more pools for clients. Whether canvas, mural or pool, he adds, “my clients are those who love bright and colorful artwork.”
