I wanted a simple-enough design that wouldn’t take ages to paint.”

Maddie McKinney

PORTSMOUTH — When Localz Kitchen and Cocktails owner Kevin Ames decided the restaurant’s back patio floor could use a little color, he envisioned something simple: splash on some paint and call it a day.

Instead, the patio is getting a work of art you can walk all over.

Maddie McKinney, a bartender’s assistant who’s worked at the Island Park restaurant for about 2½ years, spent Thursday on hands and knees transforming the concrete into a vibrant mural featuring tropical colors, flowing patterns and a compass rose marked with Localz’s exact latitude and longitude — a fitting touch for a restaurant just a stone’s throw from the water.

The project came about after head chef Steven King learned McKinney had created World Cup-themed artwork for a Bristol bar.

“He was like, ‘Well, we have a starving artist here. Have her design something and paint it,’” McKinney said with a laugh.

The Localz mural is her first large-scale solo project, and every brushstroke is based on her own design.

“I came up with some sketches and I tried incorporating Localz itself, and summertime,” she said. “I wanted a simple-enough design that wouldn’t take ages to paint.”

That’s an important consideration when your canvas doubles as a restaurant patio. Every extra day with wet paint is another day customers can’t enjoy dinner and drinks outside.

McKinney is studying graphic design at the Community College of Rhode Island, making the project feel like homework with much better scenery. Asked what she hopes to do after graduation, her answer was refreshingly straightforward.

“I guess just do what makes me happy,” she said, “which is art.”

Now, thanks to one ambitious student and a chef who recognized hidden talent, Localz patrons will have something colorful beneath their feet while they enjoy what’s on their plates.