Phase 2 of the Kum & Go mural is in the works as phase one is being finished, according to art club sponsor Debra Murray.
Murray said phase 1 is only 8-10 hours away from completion, but the wet fall weather and long winter have halted progress from being made on the first half of the mural. The Art Club will resume painting the mural as soon as the weather warms up, as increased moisture and low temperatures can affect the way the paint cures.
Meanwhile, Murray is beginning to plan phase 2 of the mural. Phase 1 concentrates on the history of Saline County, and phase two will complement it by highlighting the area’s present culture and industries as well as speculate about the county’s future.
“This time I’m opening the mural up to my Drawing I and advanced drawing kids by making it a lesson in class. I’m asking them what they think the mural should be and to hammer out some designs. We’ll pick the best ideas and combine them into one design,” Murray said.
Murray’s classes have already started brainstorming ideas for the mural, but Murray said it will take a few months to turn her students’ ideas into reality because of the lengthy process between planning and painting.
“We have to plan, submit sketches, have Kum & Go approve the sketches, revise, then do the final design,” Murray said.
The Art Club plans to do things differently after running into problems with phase 1 of the mural. The moist ground behind the wall combined with last fall’s excessively wet weather caused the mural’s paint to drip and damage the existing image, so Murray will take precautions to prevent having the same problems with phase 2.
“We’re going to paint on a special surface that’s similar to a parachute cloth so we can paint indoors and let it cure and dry. Then we will use adhesive to apply it to the wall. It’s a better surface than the wall, too. We would’ve used it the first go around, but we didn’t know about it until [art teacher]Amber Cardinale and I contacted some artists who paint murals in Philadelphia who suggested it,” Murray said.
Phase 1 of the mural will be finished after the weather warms up and painting on phase two will begin this summer. The full mural will be finished by the end of next fall.
“I’m eager to started on phase 2. We all get so excited about painting the mural and it puts people in such a good mood. I love hearing cars honk in approval as they pass by because that lets me know I’m doing something real and right,” senior Spencer Wyatt said.
