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Oh, the thinks Kevin Cavenaugh can think.

If you see what looks like a page out of a Dr. Seuss book going up on a building east of the Burnside Bridge, that’s just the painting of the Fair-Haired Dumbbell, the latest and largest building from Cavenaugh’s Guerrilla Development.

Crews began painting the under-construction mixed-use office building Tuesday. The colorful, swirling design came about from a design competition won by Los Angeles artist James Jean.

A team of painters from Dan Cohen Creative Labs is painting the building with Keim silicate mineral paint, Cavenaugh said. The paint is designed to chemically bond to the synthetic stucco exterior surface and carries a lifetime color saturation warranty. It also costs up to $900 per gallon, depending on the color.

The Fair-Haired Dumbbell is likely to become one of Portland’s most colorful and recognizable buildings, standing in contrast to its prominent and darkly clad neighbor, Yard. Cavenaugh has likened the Dumbbell’s appearance to two gift-wrapped boxes.

The 54,932-square-foot building at 11 N.E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. consists of five floors of offices over ground-floor retail, including a forthcoming bar and a barbershop.

Painting the building will take an estimated four to five months, depending on weather, said Dan Cohen, owner of Dan Cohen Creative Labs. Painting is under way on the west-facing wall. On June 20, a second crew will begin working simultaneously. The second crew is holding off for now because of the Rose Festival parade route, Cohen said. The site also remains busy with construction activity.

鈥淚t’s still a live construction site, so we’re working around everyone else as well,鈥� he said.

During design review, commissioners expressed concern about the mural’s durability. The building passed design review on its fourth hearing.

Cohen said the mural should not deteriorate with time. The exterior surface of the building is Dryvit synthetic stucco that will bond with the paint.

鈥淚t not only mechanically adheres to the surface, as most paints do, but it also chemically adheres,鈥� Cohen said. 鈥淚t basically bonds to the wall and becomes part of the wall. Because of that, it will never peel.鈥�

The building gained notice from the start given its daring appearance and an unusual crowd-funding campaign that raised $1.5 million of the building’s approximately $18 million cost. It was featured in The New York Times, among other media outlets.

Cavenaugh recently unveiled another idiosyncratic idea: Tree Farm, an office building proposed for a parcel next to the Morrison Bridge which would have approximately 64 trees growing out of all four sides of the building.

The Lorax, who speaks for the trees, could not be reached for comment.