Artist Cynthia Dice spruces things up with a colorful canvas.

There’s a lot of finger pointing going on at Town & Country Market, and it’s making people happy.

A new office inside the entrance had a drab wall that needed a bit of punch, and T&C’s Susan Calhoun thought a mural would be nice. She asked two island artists to submit ideas, and Cynthia Dice, a ceramic artist and painter, drew a 2-by-2-foot square, full-color proposal, which was chosen.

It was a large-scale departure for Dice, who teaches ceramics and began working on canvas just three years ago.

“It’s instant gratification,” she said. “I can do the same style on canvas that I do in ceramics and it doesn’t break, and it’s not heavy.”

Although her painting is reminiscent of a giant postcard, it conveys more than a “wish you were here” sentiment.

With bold colors and pinpoint detail, Dice’s creation is a map of the island and its treasured landmarks. Dice said her instructions were brief: The painting had to include a map, a ferry, evergreens and a great blue heron.

“And come up with anything Bainbridge Island I could think of,” she said.

Having just seen deer nibbling at her roses, Dice included that image, as well as other personal tributes.

“There are a lot of me and my family (in the work),” Dice said. “My dad is in the kayak, my yellow Lab is there, ‘Cynthia’ rhododendrons.” The colors, she added, “are just typical me.”

Installed last Wednesday, the painting was an instant hit with adults and children, who studied the legend and searched for places they know.

“People just love it,” Calhoun said. “Kids love it because it’s cartoon-like and kind of retro. The schools are all designated with apples and (children) look for their schools.”

It looks, she said, “like an old-fashioned postcard. The store was built in 1957, and it looks very 1950s because of the banner and the colors.”

One customer’s reaction was indicative of many: “This is beautiful. Look, there’s the (Bloedel) preserve. And there’s Frog Rock.”

Also depicted are a sailboat, strawberries, brightly hued flowers, a banana slug, parks, ball fields, houses of worship and specific neighborhoods. Dice used the store’s colors and included a “You are here” arrow that points to the market.

“It’s not commercial,” Calhoun said. “It’s definitely community.”

The original idea was to have a mural in the store, but a painting could be moved during remodels – so Dice painted what looks to be a mural on canvas. By working in her studio, she had all the space she needed and the T&C entrance wasn’t compromised.

“I had to do it out in the garage because it wouldn’t fit through our doors,” Dice said. “Neighbors watched the progress.”

The image may see life in other formats as well.

“One schoolteacher asked if posters would be available. We had in mind to do postcards,” Calhoun said. “It’s like a map on the ferry. Everyone loves that map. It’s a nice community-oriented map.”

And that helps the folks working at T&C, where “we constantly get asked where something is,” Calhoun said. “It’s also like a teaching tool.”

For Dice, one of the best things about the mural is it is completely island-grown. Roby King Gallery built the frame and stretched the canvas, and all of the supplies came from Oil and Water.

“The Nakatas wanted to do this for the community and chose an island artist,” she said. “With commission work, you don’t really know if the customer is going to love it until it’s done. I really wanted it to be for the community to enjoy.”