And, after you grab that instagramable moment at the Belize sign you might want to look for the mural that's poised to get its own trip advisor nod very very soon.
We spotted it back in early September when Artist Keion Griffth was hard at work creating what seemed like living breathing images.
It's a large multi-wall masterpiece painted on the fence of the Fort Street Tourist Village's terminal 1, a meditation on creativity and how it's expressed through the hands.
Two months ago Cherisse Halsall stepped out to speak with the artist and today with the mural just about done we're giving you a preview of the public art piece you just have to see.
If you've taken a turn around the Fort George neighbourhood lately you may have stumbled upon the artist Keion Griffith Hard at work on a section of his newest mural.
It's a project that simply astounds not just because of its scale, a more 30-foot expanse of pure riotous colour, but because of the quality of the work. That's because Keion's painting is a tapestry of photorealism, a particularly challenging dance of light and shadows that help these images to jump off the walls and seem filled with movement.
Keion Griffith, Muralist
"It's a mural showcasing the different cultures of Belize but more specifically I wanted to focus on the hands of these individuals because the hands is what makes them unique as a culture and also it shows movement and it is kinda just more interactive to the person viewing it, you know like it's pulling you in it's captivating, it's life-size so that's what I kind of want to play with also keeping it as real as possible just mimicking the natural sense of these individuals and their culture."
Cherisse Halsall:
"Talk to me about some of the more challenging parts of this mural is there anything that was really a technical challenge for you as you were working?"
Keion Griffith, Muralist
"To be honest, the concept that I submitted to BTB I changed once I started because I'm going along I want each wall to just follow up and be better than the next so I am giving myself the challenge of finding more difficult pictures because I don't want to just oh come and paint showcasing the different cultures, what I want to do is showcase my talent also and just kind of separate myself from my peers, although they are a talented bunch it's just something in me that I kind of wants to grow and in order to grow you need the challenges so I kind of welcome it."
But Keion says that what ties the mural together are the hands of his subjects.
Keion Griffith, Muralist
"What they do with their hands like I said before it makes them unique so whether it is beating the drums whether it is doing the tortilla I just wanted to showcase that to the tourists because that is the reason for the mural to just give the tourists a little piece of Belize and what we have here to offer."
Now these cute faces, agile dancers, and grassroots gardners are bringing new life to one of Belize's most historic neighborhoods and enriching the eyeline of the tourists brave enough to step of the beaten track for a look around.
Cherisse Halsall:
"This area was somewhat neglected during the pandemic. Is this mural an attempt to bring some life colour and culture back to the tourist village?"
Keion Griffith, Muralist
"Definitely and not only the area but just Belize in itself. It's just a coincidence that the wall is here but the BTB is trying to re-rejuvenate the city and bring more life to the walls so it's not only at the tourist's village but it's around the city."
