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Charles Malone was waiting in line at Oakland Hope in Pontiac when he saw an artist with dozens of spray paint cans and a bright yellow metal scaffolding.

Malone grabbed his phone and snapped a few photos. He wasn’t the only one who noticed artist Zach Curtis working in the blistering heat last week. Curtis, 29, of Waterford, has created murals across Michigan and the U.S., and some in Mexico, too. He’s had a Pontiac studio for five years and a goal of creating a new mural every year in the city.

“The artist deserves a big shout-out,” said Chris Gonzalez, who paused on his drive through the parking lot to peer at Curtis’ work. “It’s really cool.”

Steve Wheeler of Pontiac agreed.

“It’s great. What an artist, eh?” said Wheeler as he admired the project.

Norma Okonski, Oakland Hope’s founder and executive director, said the project on the building at 20 E. Walton Blvd. and facing Baldwin Avenue is “awesome.”

She called the art “a great way to boost community pride” and adds to Pontiac’s gateway projects. When the mural is complete, it will include a space where people can take selfies, she said.

Each face is a real person, said Curtis.

Okonski said the decision to put the city’s new mural in Pontiac’s District 4 will have “the biggest impact” on people who visit Oakland Hope’s thrift store and food pantry, which serves 9,000 people a month.

The theme is farm-to-table, featuring a family, a farmer, Oakland Hope volunteers and a plethora of vibrant images of fruits and vegetables to encourage healthful eating.

Okonski is planning a block party on Thursday, June 30, to celebrate the art. Details for food and kid-friendly fun are still being worked out, she said.

Curtis’ next project is in the heart of downtown Pontiac, on the garage wall of the Riker building at 35 W. Huron St., a spot he called his “dream wall.”

Curtis set up a Kickstarter account to raise $12,600.

By last Wednesday, $12,620 had been committed to make a 50- by 60-foot portrait of Elizabeth Denison Forth, an enslaved woman who gained her freedom and enough wealth to become Pontiac’s first landowner and a philanthropist.

“She’s a very historical character in the history of Pontiac. She’s done awesome things … she was a big helper of the communities around here,” he said. “I don’t know if everyone knows about her … I wanted to make this educational.”

Tim Shepard, owner of Riker Properties, said he’s long wanted to see that wall showcase art. His mom, Claudia Shepard, has taught at Wayne State University, the Center for Creative Studies and the Detroit Institute of Arts.

Shepard’s only guideline for Curtis: Be creative, but not offensive. He’s delighted to know the community donated enough money to support Curtis’ portrait of Denison Forth.

Curtis’ murals are, Shepard said, “a good, positive thing in a world where we don’t have a whole lot of positive things happening.”

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