Shine Bright Texarkana by JES WEINER

Photo by KATE SILVA

“My mural is a portrait of our fellow Texarkana native, Kayla King. My main inspiration for Shine Bright was community. Shining individually and together. When we each bring our unique gifts to the forefront, shining individually, the light gets brighter and brighter. What was once many little lights, dispersed, is now a great beacon when gathered together. I used outdoor grade, latex paint, ensuring that this mural will last a long time. I rented scaffolding from Dot’s Rentals to reach the top of the wall. I planned to work over a period of four days, but with weather and travel hiccups, I condensed it down to about 32 hours over two days.”

Close Encounter by CHELSEA MORGAN-BULLOCK

photos by ALAMOND PHOTOGRAPHY

“When I first sat down to sketch for the Kress Gap, I knew I not only wanted to create something fun and different for Downtown, but also a source of entertainment that would bring people to the area. The idea to create the U.F.O. interactive mural where you become part of the art by posing as if you are being taken up in the bright green beam led me to create other interactive artworks Downtown.

While shopping around for the perfect Wedding Cake Bakery, I stopped in Downtown’s Graham Slam Bakery. The owner mentioned my U.F.O. mural and how she loved the colors and vibe of it. We exchanged talents, and she created the most beautiful wedding cake and groom’s cake in exchange for the mural on the side of their business. This mural is titled, Indulgent Rain. In Indulgent Rain, you can pose holding an umbrella while sweets rain down on you.

To carry on the interactive fun, I also created a 1920s vintage-inspired Paper Moon in front of The Paragon Lounge located in front of the Post Office. At this location, you can sit inside the moon just as people in the past did and have your picture taken.

Close Encounters was created using first a base of spray paints, in order to create a translucent light galaxy feel. Then I chose to use exterior paints for the planets and flying saucer to make them pop.

All the work I created Downtown had their own different hurdles and obstacles to overcome. This led to them taking many hours to create. However, I truly enjoyed being outside and doing something I love!”

Scott Joplin Mural by ARTHUR (ART) PLETCHER

photo by ALAMOND PHOTOGRAPHY

“I was asked by the City of Texarkana, to submit a proposal and price quote for the then fading Scott Joplin Mural. However, I was encouraged to take some liberties. I understood that Scott Joplin was unknown to much of our current generation of residents, so that required some reintroduction to him and the ‘Ragtime’ culture as well. I knew that I needed more than a basic education on this subject, and so I did some extensive research. What I discovered was quite impressive, including a posthumous Pulitzer Prize. I also discovered how very lively and vibrant the culture was at that time, which I tried to capture by incorporating all the bright red, green and yellow colors into the composition. Because so much of a narrative needed to be told, I had an inspiration to present a timeline. If you notice, a history unfolds from left to right, from his childhood through various music sheets, then his stamp and Pulitzer. Keeping that in mind, I did expect loyal followers might object to the deviation from the original mural’s intent, and I admit that some of the local cultural features have been excluded, but overall, it seems to have been successful in revitalizing the Downtown, including a designated “Arts and Historic District.” The mural took me 3-1/2 weeks to complete, plus an additional three of committee tweaks. I always use Sherwin Williams latex paint. Since it faces the South, I applied a UV clear coat to retard fading. I would say that it has held up quite well over five years of direct sunlight, but don’t be surprised if the red color needs a touch-up soon.”

Work Hard, Play Hard by NATALIE HAYWOOD and ANITA PEEK

photo by ALAMOND PHOTOGRAPHY

“I wanted to add a splash of color to downtown Texarkana, and loved the color palette when I saw it online. My dad has always used, and is the epitome of, Work Hard, Play Hard. The phrase has been repeated to us since we were kids, and I try to live it out in everyday life.

I used exterior latex paint, large rollers and brushes, and a scissor lift from Dot’s Rentals, and with the help of my husband, Josh, and mom, Anita Peek, we were able to complete the painting in one weekend.”

Twice as Fly by RACHEL FREEMAN and MOLLY KENDRICK

photo by ALAMOND PHOTOGRAPHY

“When I first signed up to do the mural I was initially going to do it with someone else, and that person ended up having to drop out. I then asked Molly if she would want to do it with me. That is when I found out that she was already going to do a mural also, and her partner had to drop out, too. So, we took her idea from her mural and my idea from my mural and put the two together. I was going to do some sort of large flowers and greenery, and she was going to do a butterfly with both parts of the wings representing parts of Texas on one side and parts of Arkansas on the other. When I redrew our idea, I researched flowers from Texas and incorporated them on the left side of the wings and researched flowers from Arkansas and incorporated them on the right side of the wings. We both put our heads together to figure out what type of banner and font we wanted to use at the top but we both know that we wanted to put Texarkana in the banner. As we were working on our mural, we were talking back-and-forth about our lives and found out that we had both lost someone very close to us and a butterfly symbolizes that they are still with us, and every time we see a butterfly it reminds us that they are still here maybe not physically but definitely in spirit.

In order to complete the mural, we used a scissor lift from Dot’s Rentals, Valspar and Sherwin Williams paint, Purdy paint brushes 1”, small all-purpose detail brushes, a drop cloth, projector and an iMac. It took us around 50 hours to complete.”

Hidden in Nature by by CARISSA MATHIAS

photo by ALAMOND PHOTOGRAPHY

“When I was thinking about Texarkana and the things that make it what it is, I thought about the parks and recreational areas we have for our community. All of them are lined with trees and beautiful landscape that makes each place unique and beautiful. From the pine tree-lined disc golf course and play areas of Spring Lake Park, to the perfectly-shaded play areas at East Bringle. There are so many hidden jewels in the natural surroundings of this town that inspired me as I was designing a mural.

Then came the fun part; it was time to put my design on that big canvas of a wall! With a little help, I assembled some scaffolding, opened my paints, grabbed my brushes, and began to put my tiny sketch to scale. After two days of climbing up and down to paint and examine this colorful design, I was able to sign it, pack up the scaffolding, and call it done. I’m so grateful for the extra hands that helped me paint extra coats, be my eyes from the ground, watch my kids as I painted, and made this special spot downtown possible! I am proud to be able to be a part of brightening up the beautiful downtown area!”

The Orchid Lady by DAVID FREEMAN

photos by ALAMOND PHOTOGRAPHY

“This colorful hand-painted mural is 45 feet long and 17 feet tall located on the side of TLC Burger and Fries at Olive and East Broad Streets.

The mural was painted to resemble a vintage Dr. Pepper brick advertisement customized for Texarkana with special design elements that include the Texas and Arkansas crossroads sign, the Twin Cities’ motto ‘Twice As Nice’, and a portrait of Corinne Griffith, the silent-era movie star of the 1920s who was born in Texarkana.

Corinne Mae Griffith was born November 21, 1894, in Texarkana, to Ambolina Ghio and John Lewis Griffith. She became a popular star of the silent movies beginning in 1916, and at the height of her popularity was known as ‘The Orchid Lady of the Screen,’ widely-recognized for her exceptional beauty, grace and charm.

The design process for the mural was a collaborative effort with several months of planning working directly with Dr. Pepper Regional Sales Manager Christopher Corbitt and Texarkana Main Street Director Ina McDowell.

When a final design was chosen, mural production was scheduled, and the completion date was established by the Main Street Director prior to beginning, and the day for mural unveiling was set. Throughout the process, 100% acrylic mural paint was used for the artwork formulated with pure, artist grade pigments and made especially for maximum exterior durability.

The new mural was officially unveiled on Friday, October 4, to applause from a crowd gathered for the occasion. In her honor, Arkansas-side Mayor Allen Brown and Texas-side Mayor Bob Bruggeman read a joint proclamation declaring October 4 as Corinne Mae Griffith, ‘The Orchid Lady of the Screen’ Day.”

TXK Logo Mural by JES WEINER

photos by KATE SILVA

“My mural of the TXK Logo, was commissioned by the City of Texarkana. I worked from a design made by another local, Texarkana designer. I used outdoor grade, latex paint to ensure lasting results. Dot’s Rentals donated use of a boom light, so that I could work through the night. Altech donated use of a scissor lift, and Artex Electric donated use of a lift truck. The project took me about 50 hours over four days.”

Colors of Life by JOSEPH RAYMOND

photos by ALAMOND PHOTOGRAPHY

“It’s so exciting to have my new huge 125 feet long mural bringing life and vibrant color to downtown Texarkana!

Before the existing metal parking structure wall was built, I was commissioned to create an original work of art to scale with the intent of it being produced in high definition on vinyl. The original Colors of Life which measures 12.5 feet by 1 foot is acrylic, ink and metallics on canvas.

Part of my ‘Fluent Series,’ which is my signature style, Colors of Life was born out of the desire to reflect fresh progress and life that a new year and decade is promising for the heart of our great city! Texarkana is a city with not only a rich history, but also a bright future!”

FABK Mural by DANI HAMBLETT & TRACI PITMAN

photo by ALAMOND PHOTOGRAPHY

“I understood that the city was looking for something fun that people would seek out as a destination to take a photo in front of, so I looked on Pinterest and Instagram at the types of murals people were taking pics with in other cities and came up with an inspiration board. Then I dialed it back to my actual skill level – which is beginner. I played around with paint swatches (from Lowe’s) for a couple of weeks to decide what colors to use; I knew I wanted some that were bright and fun.

While I came up with the original concept and design, Traci Pitman (and my husband, Alan) helped me paint it. As business partners, Traci and I balance each other out; she is always game for my crazy ideas! I drew out the pattern on graph paper and used those measurements to scale it up to the size of the wall. Alan helped me pull a chalk line to get the shapes on the wall, then we went back over that with blue painters tape. None of this could have been achieved without a scissor lift from Dot’s Rentals! I visited Jes (Weiner) when she was doing her mural on scaffolding, (you know, while pregnant – no big deal), and knew I couldn’t do that. I’m way too scared of heights.

Once that was done, we used exterior paint to fill in our shapes, and that was it! We actually took a break for a late lunch at Pecan Point, and when we came back to pull the painter’s tape off there were already some seniors taking prom pics there with their parents. That was really rewarding to see after we’d been working all morning on it.”

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