LEWISTON – Clint Magoon wants travelers on the lower end of Sabattus Street to feel as though they are walking or driving right into the heart of Italy. So far, he is right on target.

Since late last week, Magoon has been painting a mural on the side of Luiggi’s Pizzeria at Sabattus and Horton streets. On a 30-foot section of wall there, he has begun painting a scene depicting the canals, boats and ornate buildings of Venice.

“People are going to see it from far away,” Magoon said Tuesday night, just before sundown. “But even when they get up close, I want them to see a lot of good detail.”

Traveling along Sabattus Street, from Main Street, the effect is stunning. Most of Magoon’s painting, like Venice itself, is water.

“I’ve got to get the boats in there,” he said. “That will make a lot of difference.”

Though the Venice painting marks the first time Magoon has done an outdoor mural, he is no stranger to seeing his art displayed in public places. If he were to put together a portfolio of his work, he would need entire city blocks to display it.

Magoon painted the walls inside Luiggi’s. He painted a western scene on the walls at Mac’s Grill in Auburn and others at Korn Haus Keller, the Village Inn, the Gridiron, and other public buildings and private homes.

Magoon, who lives in Lewiston, has appeared on “People, Places and Things” and twice on the “Today” show. In 1982, his work was displayed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York after he won a national award.

On Sabattus Street, Magoon guessed he’ll be finished up outside Luiggi’s by the weekend. The difference between working on an outdoor and an indoor mural, he said, is that sunlight illuminates details in the work more.

There is also the factor of wandering critics in the downtown area to be considered.

“A lot of people have been hollering as they drive by,” he said. “Mostly, they say, “It’s awesome. It’s great.'”

“People inside are talking about it, too,” said Nick Doane, who was working at Luiggi’s on Tuesday night. “They want to know who’s doing it.”

In spite of his prolific mural work at restaurants and homes, Magoon said he devotes most of his energy to glass etching, which he has been doing for 23 years. To show off his work, he travels around in a full-size bus that, of course, he painted himself.

He is also being considered to paint the entry area of the Androscoggin Bank Colisee on Birch Street. If approved by city leaders, that project will entail Magoon painting a 290-foot-by 40-foot section at the ice arena.

“That will be a really big project if they go for it,” he said.