Mural coming to LaFayette
Soon citizens of LaFayette will be watching a wall on the outside of Courthouse Annex II transform into a piece of “Walker Rocks” art.
On Tuesday, May 30, artist Jonathan Bidwell will begin a tourism-based mural depicting some of the things Walker County is well-known for: waterfalls, rock climbing, kayaking and natural beauty. The “Walker Rocks” logo will serve as the centerpiece.
There will be one feature in the mural — a rock just to the lower left of the logo — says Walker
County public relations director Joe Legge, that will serve as a perfect spot for people to have their pictures taken and look as if they’re “in” the scene.
The mural idea was the brainchild of the Walker County Tourism Committee, which is made up of representatives from Walker County’s cities, county employees, Chamber of Commerce members and representatives from various tourist attractions and accommodations.
There will be $15,000 in tax money (from hotel/motel taxes) applied to the 90-foot wide, 15foot high tourism mural.
When the call for artists went out, the result was 11 submissions to do the work. The tourism committee made the final decision, choosing locally-based artist Jonathan Bidwell.
MEET THE ARTIST
Jonathan Bidwell has a studio in Rossville at the moment, with plans to move to Chattanooga soon. He recently wrapped up work he’s been doing on the Chattanooga EPB 10th Street mural project
Bidwell says he has already mixed many of the colors he’ll be using on the LaFayette mural. The acrylic paints he uses are made just one place — in
southern California, at Nova Color Inc.
“I use an acrylic polymer that can withstand the sun and weather,” says Bidwell. He says the paint should remain vibrant for 10-15 years and maybe much longer.
How much paint will the mural take? Bidwell has 15 gallons set aside for the mural, though he doesn’t think it will take quite that much. “It depends on how porous the surface is. Concrete soaks up a lot of paint. County workers are priming the wall in advance.”
Bidwell likes to paint with brushes and rollers to produce more of an artistic look than spray-painting would. “It also results in thicker coats of paint,” he says, “which lasts longer.”
Painting murals, says Bidwell, is very different from studio painting. For one, it
involves serious physical labor: lugging around gallons of paint, ladders, lifts, power cables. You’re out in the sun, climbing and moving your equipment. The painting itself, with such a huge canvas, can be taxing.
But all the work is part of what Bidwell likes about painting murals. “It keeps you active,” he says.
There are also strong intellectual, emotional, creative and logistical aspects to the work. “You really never know exactly what you’re dealing with until you begin,” Bidwell says. “Some areas may need more paint, some less. I mix colors on location as well as
beforehand. You have to constantly examine what you’re doing and make adjustments.”
Bidwell likes that murals are truly public art, not something behind closed doors in a gallery where only a handful of people will see them. He likes that people get to watch them as they’re created.
“The community gets involved,” says Bidwell. “People stop to talk to me, share the history of the area. I’ve had shop owners invite me to drop by for something to drink or a sandwich.”
While working in Chattanooga, Bidwell had a man with a boom box stop by and ask if he wanted to hear some
music. “He lived in a homeless shelter. It was original music that he wrote,” he says. “I offered to get the film crew on the scene to tape him, but he said no. He just wanted to share his music. What is art without someone to share it with?”
There’s a special fulfillment in creating public art and helping to make a community more beautiful, says Bidwell, and a good feeling from a more physical form of creating art that leaves him exhausted but happy at the end of the day.
Bidwell says the project may take up to two months to finish, but if the weather
cooperates, it could take considerably less time.
for The Catoosa County News in Ringgold, Ga., and Walker County Messenger in LaFayette, Ga.