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Penn Avenue Fish Co. unveils oceanic mural | TribLIVE.com
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Penn Avenue Fish Co. unveils oceanic mural

JoAnne Klimovich Harrop
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JoAnne Klimovich Harrop | Tribune-Review
Cynthia Liefeld, of Sewickley, created this deep sea mural from dive photos she captured in Grand Cayman. The piece was installed at Penn Avenue Fish Co. in Pittsburgh’s Strip District on Oct. 26.
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JoAnne Klimovich Harrop | Tribune-Review
Cynthia Liefeld, of Sewickley, created this deep sea mural from dive photos she captured in Grand Cayman. The piece was installed at Penn Avenue Fish Co. in Pittsburgh’s Strip District on Oct. 26.
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JoAnne Klimovich Harrop | Tribune-Review
A close up of a fish in a deep sea mural inside Penn Avenue Fish Co. in Pittsburgh’s Strip District on Oct. 26.
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JoAnne Klimovich Harrop | Tribune-Review
Joe Zierer, a graphic designer at Speed Pro Pittsburgh North in Cranberry uses a torch to install a mural inside Penn Avenue Fish Co. in Pittsburgh’s Strip District on Oct. 26.

The crystal blue water is the backdrop for fish, turtles, a stingray and corals found living deep under the sea.

The four panels of the 9 feet by 14 feet mural outside of encompasses 100 photos that took four months to shoot.

Diver and photographer Cynthia Liefeld of Sewickley captured the sea life in the Grand Cayman. She created the deep sea mural by blending the dive pictures into one scene to “highlight the critical need for coral restoration as the essential foundation of the food chain.”

The piece was installed Monday inside Penn Avenue Fish Co. in the Strip District. It is made of washable, strippable wallpaper.

Henry Dewey, the restaurant’s owner, said the mural blends perfectly with the decor.

“Cynthia is a great customer, a great friend,” Dewey said. “It is hard to look anywhere here and not see some type of fish, so her mural fits right in. It’s powerful.”

Liefeld hopes it’s more than a piece of art.

“The incredible bio-, socio- and economic diversity that coral reefs represent factor into our continued existence in myriad ways, from food sources, regional livelihoods, medicines, cultures, beaches, water filtration, land protection and more,” she said.

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JoAnne Klimovich Harrop | Tribune-Review
Joe Zierer, a graphic designer at Speed Pro Pittsburgh North in Cranberry installs a mural inside Penn Avenue Fish Co. in Pittsburgh’s Strip District on Oct. 26.

SpeedPro Pittsburgh North in Cranberry handled the installation.

“It has such vibrancy. It’s beautiful,” said Lynne Arrington, who owns SpeedPro Pittsburgh North, a large-format printing company.

The photos were captured at several levels under water, some more than 40 feet.

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Courtesy of Joe Zierer
A close up of a stingray in a deep sea mural inside Penn Avenue Fish Co. in Pittsburgh’s Strip District on Oct. 26.

This is the first of three installations. Two smaller murals will be placed inside the Izzazu Salon, Spa and Serata in Downtown Pittsburgh and at the Sewickley Valley YMCA.

Liefeld said many corals have been destroyed because of climate change and rising water temperatures. She created PhDivaDiver Coral Foundation, which is part of an emerging worldwide effort to grow and restore coral.

She has been raising money for coral restoration with sales of her sea life/coral-life calendars, along with individual sales of large-scale aluminum prints of sea life.

Liefeld said healthy coral reefs are vital for the earth.

She became an underwater photographer more than eight years ago.

JoAnne Klimovich Harrop is a TribLive reporter covering the region's diverse culinary scene and unique homes. She writes features about interesting people. The Edward R. Murrow award-winning journalist began her career as a sports reporter. She has been with the Trib for 26 years and is the author of "A Daughter's Promise." She can be reached at jharrop@triblive.com.

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