A massive 40-meter mural depicting the iconic landmarks of Fleury-sur-Orne now decorates the walls of Pomikal Farm along the hillsides near Caen, France. The impressive artwork was created through a unique collaboration between local farmer Henri Pomikal and Kevin Sevestre, a 37-year-old street artist known by his alias "Lord," who hails from Caen.
The project began when Henri Pomikal grew tired of graffiti tags appearing on his farm wall along Chemin des Coteaux. Instead of simply painting over them, he posted a creative message: "If you want to tag, call me!" This summer, his unconventional invitation reached Kevin Sevestre, leading to an extraordinary artistic transformation.
Completed in June 2025, the mural spans the entire 40-meter length of the farm wall facing the street. Henri Pomikal specifically requested that the artwork showcase "the emblematic sites of the city," including the town center with its church, the water tower, the enchanted island, the Orne River, the metal bridge crossing the river, and the cultivation of miscanthus - one of the Pomikal family's agricultural specialties alongside hemp, flax, and cereals. Pomikal provided reference photographs to help guide the artist's vision.
"I also wanted to help a young person who's just starting out," Henri Pomikal explained. "It cost me barely more than a facade renovation, it's much nicer, and it should last longer."
The three-week project presented significant technical challenges for the artist. Sevestre had to adapt his technique to work on different surfaces including concrete and corrugated metal sheets, while accommodating three varying wall heights of 1.5 meters, 3 meters, and 3.5 meters. Using anamorphosis techniques, he skillfully made corners disappear into the design and cleverly incorporated existing infrastructure elements like utility poles, electrical boxes, and drainage pipes into the artwork.
After applying a durable base coat with rollers, Lord used spray cans in multiple colors to create the detailed mural. "That was the bulk of the work: making elements stand out, creating relief by emphasizing contrasts - which is my artistic identity - and staying consistent with what already existed," Sevestre explained. "Many passersby gave me suggestions during the work. I appreciated that."
The finished mural recreates the viewpoint from the dike between the enchanted island and the bridge, complete with a goose from the enchanted island that keeps watch over passing pedestrians. "It now belongs to the people of Fleury-sur-Orne," the artist noted.
Recovering from his intense work under the hot June sun, the artist quickly received positive feedback thanks to the phone number he left painted on the wall. This led to additional commission opportunities, as he can work on smaller scales for both businesses and private clients. His services include canvas paintings, realistic landscapes on store metal shutters, and increasingly popular superhero murals for children's bedrooms, all executed in street art style.
Since becoming self-employed in January 2025, Kevin Sevestre has expanded his services to include work with troubled youth and individuals with disabilities, drawing on his first career as an educator. Born in Caen, he was exposed to disability work from childhood, as his mother worked at Foyer Soleil in Fleury-sur-Orne. "I celebrated Christmas there!" he recalls.
Sevestre became a monitor-educator at age 22 after three years of camp animation work with the Scouts of France. Throughout his career, he developed painting programs for various youth populations, including apprentices, deaf and mute individuals, aggressive youth, and those with Down syndrome. "When I started painting at 20, I wasn't gifted, but I didn't take classes," he admitted. "I became interested in painters, tried to understand techniques, how to direct the viewer's gaze, with a preference for landscapes."
His most formative experience was a four-year position at the Departmental House for Children and Families, which he describes as "the most significant" role of his career. This experimental facility featured one educator per specialty - music, football, painting - serving only five children with ample time and resources. "It's a system common in Nordic countries, which are ahead in this field," he noted.
Throughout his educational career, Kevin continued developing his understanding of imagery and painting reproduction techniques. After fifteen years of experience, he felt ready to dedicate all his time and self-taught talents to his art full-time. The success of the Fleury-sur-Orne mural has already attracted visitors, with hikers approaching Henri Pomikal requesting tours of both his farm and the impressive wall decoration.
