New mural makes debut
SHELBY — Though the 2020 season is over at Seltzer Pool, a new era is dawning at the Shelby recreational landmark.
A new mural recently made its debut on a wall at the site, a creation of illustrator and designer Ben Stafford, a Shelby resident.
“I love Shelby,” he said in an interview. “We have only been here five years. I have grown to love the community, and I wanted to give back.”
Stafford’s creation replaces an older mural that had been in place at the site, adding to the pool’s backdrop.
“For the past five years ever since I saw the mural at the pool, I thought, ‘Man, wouldn’t it be cool one day to paint over it?’” recalled Stafford, 34. “I didn’t know how new it was then. I had a goal in mind, but I didn’t seek it out.”
Stafford spent about three weeks working on artistic concepts and brainstorming for the mural.
“I kept coming back to the one that I presented,” he said. “It seemed like the clear winner. So I only presented that one concept, and it turned out that everybody liked it, and everybody agreed it should be painted.”
Stafford detailed what it involves.
“I thought, ‘What’s one way to level up what is currently there?’” he said, referring to the former mural.
“It was sea life, there were some fish, octopus arms and Seltzer Pool right there in the middle. I thought, ‘Let’s keep the same concept…but just make it more modern. Let’s make it more bright and saturated and cheerful.’ I hope my work resonates with people that way.”
Stafford discussed the color scheme featuring light blue, dark blue and white.
“It’s a very simple palette,” he said. “I actually asked to use the exact same light blue that they used for the bottom of the pool because I wanted it to look seamless. If someone were looking from the road and seeing the blue in the pool, I wanted that same blue to be reflected on the mural.”
Stafford noted he was helped on the Shelby mural by a good friend from the Columbus area, Dylan Menges.
“He does murals as part of his profession so I think having his expertise by my side is going to make this go a lot faster,” Stafford said as he prepared for the project.
Stafford, who grew up in the Columbus area and is planning to get a master’s degree at Mount Vernon Nazarene University and become a high school art teacher, detailed how he landed the Shelby mural project.
His wife Beth is on the board at Park Village senior housing where Shelby Parks Superintendent Jerry Marshall also serves on the board.
“Jerry came over one day, and I got to ask him, ‘Who do I have to talk to see about getting that mural updated?’” Stafford recalled. “He said, ‘Well, you’re talking to him.’ I thought that was a fun little interaction that led to him saying he’d absolutely love to have me on board.”
Marshall expressed his enthusiasm for the artistic creation.
“We’re excited about the mural,” Marshall said in an interview. “We had been trying to get it replaced for a couple of years. Ben seemed like he was excited to do it. It seemed like a win-win for him and us.”
“It needed updating badly,” Marshall said of the former mural. “The concrete starts deteriorating on that block wall. It was fading out in spots. It just needed a fresh mural.”
The fresh mural debuted this past weekend.
In an email, Stafford provided insights on the process.
“The art was projected digitally using a projector on Friday night when it got dark,” he wrote. “Dylan and I took about an hour and a half to outline the shapes on the wall using Sharpies. That made the process a lot more efficient come Saturday.”
“Beth, Dylan and I spent about nine hours setting up, painting, and tearing down to complete the painting in one day (Sept. 12),” Ben Stafford continued. “We are extremely pleased with how it turned out and couldn’t have done it without our good friend Dylan Menges.”
The mural was painted at no charge for the city of Shelby parks department whose staff prepared the wall for the new mural.
“Jerry and the park team is paying for the materials, and I am willing to donate my time and energy and talents, and I hope the community enjoys my work,” Stafford said.
Stafford has high hopes for the mural’s longevity.
“It could last at least another five years until another up-and-coming illustrator or designer says, ‘Hey. I’d love to update that mural.’ I would hope at least five to 10 years. I wouldn’t mind coming back and touching it up if I need to.”