If by chance, you’ve visited Cult Fiction Comics, in Boothwyn, Pennsylvania over the past two years, there is a good chance you’ve seen ASP assistant-director Lynese Spinelli hard at work.

A few years back, Cult Fiction Comics moved to Boothwyn, the town they call home today. Spinelli, who knows the owners well, came up with an extraordinary idea to help spice up their new location. Spinelli, who just recently finished her degree in Fine Arts at West Chester University, offered to paint the bare ceiling panels and blanket them with various characters from comic books to Marvel’s superhero films to shows like Family Guy.

First, she had to prime the canvas with Gesso, lay each and every three by three ceiling piece down, then decide what or who she was going to paint that day. “It was a process,” Spinelli admitted, “but what once took three weeks, I can now get done in a day.” Throughout the process, she rotated between painting some of her favorites, like Princess Leia and the original Batman, and characters requested by customers or the owners. As soon as she began to reveal her work to the owners the number of requests continued to proliferate. One of the owners requested the character the Punisher, from the show with its namesake, and just days later, it appeared right above the entrance.

Her work was the combination of the employee’s requests, and on occasion, she would paint the comics and characters that she either grew up with, or meant something to her. Spinelli spent hours working tirelessly to translate the ideas she had on her head onto the innumerable amount of panels that would soon become one of the trademarks of the store. Soon, the once bare ceiling was covered in vibrant colors and characters from every show or comic imaginable. When each new customer walks into the store, their eyes immediately turn to Spinelli’s own version of the Sistine Chapel. Each elaborate panel of the ceiling is emblematic to what the store itself is, a place that encapsulates each and every category of comics available. Any new customer will most likely be able to identify their favorite character or show, just by taking a quick glance. The most rewarding part for Spinelli was the smile on the faces of the customers and employees who were amazed by the obvious talent she had. Spinelli added, “It’s about giving. I love art because it makes me happy, and I want to make people happy.”

In addition, the endless amounts of compliments from customers have brought forward new ideas for Spinelli to continue doing what she loves most. Just months after she began her project, a woman approached her and told her she should paint the ceiling of a local dentist’s office to take the patients thoughts away from the uneasiness of a trip to the dentist. Often she received requests to do characters from the customers favorite comics, and time and time again, she delivered. Now, after more than two years of hard work, Spinelli’s masterpiece is almost complete. So if you have a chance to stop by the store, make sure to look up because the view is something you won’t want to miss.