Night owls with a passion for art and community beautification, look no further.
A mural highlighting the scenery of area riverways will soon grace the wall of a local performing arts center following a community project led by renowned watercolorist Paul Jackson.
Currently a work in progress, the 17 1/2-foot-by-62-foot mural on the Tinnin Fine Arts Center's exterior wall is scheduled for completion on July 25. The majority of the work will occur between the hours of 10 p.m. and 10 a.m., Jackson said, and the public is encouraged to participate.
By 9 a.m. Saturday, the artist and a handful of volunteers were finishing the first of several overnight shifts. Donut holes, a coffee dispenser and cantaloupe covered a folding table beneath one of the canopies, but Jackson was pining for watermelon.
"Anything really cold and refreshing sounds good," he said, "and sponsors -- we need more of those."
The mural's theme is based on Poplar Bluff's natural beauty, Jackson said, because of the connectedness he feels to the community. The piece is also a cousin to a series he has been working on "for years and years involving the river" and he felt the theme tied well with the mural's placement at Three Rivers College.
As a boy, Jackson recalled, he often visited the area to explore nature and is vastly familiar with the St. Francois, Black and Current rivers.
"Poplar Bluff and I have had a lifelong relationship, essentially," he said. "As a Boy Scout, we would come up from my hometown in Mississippi just to canoe the Current River and Poplar Bluff was the first civilization we'd get to coming off the river."
Aside from childhood float trips, Jackson's first museum show was held at the Margaret Harwell Art Museum in 1990, when he was 22 years-old.
Coincidentally, he said, the collection, which was displayed nearly 30 years ago, featured a canoeist coming down the river in the fog. The piece now belongs to Kenny Rowland "and his brother," Jackson said, and has been "hanging in their river house for a long time."
The Tinnin Center mural's focal point is a profile view of a woman blowing dandelion petals into the wind. In real life, her name is Marla and she is Jackson's wife. He said she often serves as his model and muse. But in the mural, she is a goddess.
"She represents Persephone, the goddess of spring, blowing life into the landscape," he explained. "She's blowing the dandelion seeds, which burst into birds essentially as they fly around."
The painting will also feature natural sights of the landscape, including a flowing river, gentle birds, a soft blue sky and lush greenery.
Rose Anne Huck worked alongside Jackson on Saturday adding color to Persephone's profile. An experienced artist and former interim director of the MHAM, Huck said she was "honored to share this work with Paul." It was her first time painting a mural and she is hoping to learn the ins-and-outs of the style.
"One thing this project does is establishes our commitment to the arts, and the humanities and the creative side of life," Huck said. " I think of all the places in town that were considered as homes for this piece, I'm so excited where this ended up because it's so much more of the community."
Jackson, who designed the original Missouri commemorative quarter, has three times designed the presidential Easter eggs for the White House and has been recognized many times within the art community worldwide, is volunteering his time to the effort. He said "the only other really big (mural) he's done is in Columbia, Mo., where he lives.
Sponsors for the mural project include Southern Bank of Poplar Bluff, Commerce Bank and First Midwest Bank, along with TRC. Jackson said due to the high cost of supplies, sponsors are still in need.
Anyone who wants to help, but who may not want to paint, can feel free to drop by and say hello and that he welcomes cool, summer treats, he added with a grin.
Jackson also said painting experience is not required to participate in the project.
Last week, an opening reception was held at the MHAM to kick off the month of July during which Jackson is the featured artist. Much of his work will remain on display "for about two months," he said.
On July 27, the museum will host a dinner with Jackson during which he will share stories and engage with attendees. Cost will be $30 per person and include barbecue from Mike and Zach's, as well as wine, beer and soft drinks. The Walmart Foundation is sponsoring the dinner and reception, said Steve Whitworth, director of the MHAM. Additional funding was provided by the Missouri Arts Council, a state agency.
To help sponsor the mural project, contact Whitworth at 573-686-8002.