Post by Ace on Dec 2, 2004 12:42:15 GMT -5
Desert Mountain Times: Murals transform empty walls into objects of beauty
Publish Date: December 2, 2004
photograph by Dennie Miller
Movie icons, from the imagination of muralist Doug Myerscough, greet patrons of Rangra Theater in Alpine while commanding attention from passing motorists.
By Dennie Miller
It’s been fun watching the progression of the murals being painted in downtown Alpine. I have only the utmost respect and admiration for anyone who can take the side of a building and by using their imagination, turn it into an elegant, often whimsical piece of art on a scale bigger than life.
On East Holland Avenue, Doug Myerscough, a muralist from Denison, has transformed the front of Rangra Theater into a cinematic playground. Myerscough’s work was funded by contributions obtained locally and by the theater owner, with much of the work donated by the artist.
Depicted at street level are adventure-movie icons including Darth Vader, ET, Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones, John Wayne, James Dean and others, while portraits of Marilyn Monroe, Marlin Brando and Pierce Brosnan as James Bond peer from recesses near the top of the building. And an image of a Sul Ross graduate, the late Dan Blocker as Hoss Cartwright, holds a prominent position next to the ticket window. This celebration of movie magic commands attention from anyone passing by, leaving little doubt what takes place behind the glass entrance doors.
Around the corner and facing Fifth Street, an even more grandiose mural is coming to life on the side of Kiowa Gallery. Created by noted muralist Stylle Read of Cleburne, the completed mural will depict a compilation of people, places and things peculiar to Alpine. The mural was commissioned by Kiowa Gallery and is expected to be complete in a few weeks.
The work of Read is familiar to many in the Big Bend Country. For a number of years, his mural, “Milton Faver Crossing the Rio Grande on a Full Moon in 1873”, graced the side of Kiowa Gallery and was the subject of an article in Texas Monthly. His artwork adorns the exterior of Big Bend Saddlery in Alpine and the interior walls of the Reata Restaurants (Fort Worth and Alpine) and the Best Western Motels (Farmington, N.M., and Alpine.)
Other outdoor murals in the area can be viewed at the Alpine Public Library (painted by SRSU art instructor Carol Fairlee and her students), the side of the Alpine Recreation Center (painted by Kelly Dyal and student volunteers, the Alpine Thrift Shop (by Feather), Lucy’s Christmas Store in Alpine (by Brenda Young) and the Crystal Bar in Alpine (Read).
Experienced muralists make painting a wall look easy. The fact is, things do not always go as expected.
“ When I began, I could find very little written on the technique of painting murals,” Myerscough said. “My first mural was lousy. Everything was out of proportion. One nice old guy who had been a billboard artist all his life hit the nail on the head when he said, ‘Never backed up once while you were paintin’ it, did ya?’”
Painting murals has been described as somewhere between fine art and painting a house. The hours can be long, the work tedious, and a piece of public art is open to criticism (not everyone interprets it in the same way). Most muralists will tell you there are misunderstandings regardless of how clear the message is to most viewers.
“There seems to be a misconception that true artists must starve, be miserable, wear black and have drug problems,” Myerscough said. “I’m the happiest guy on the planet, love life, wear black only when it’s a gift and eat like a Clydesdale.”
And once the paint has dried, it’s up to the rest of us to enjoy what we see. For me, that won’t be a problem.
Publish Date: December 2, 2004
photograph by Dennie Miller
Movie icons, from the imagination of muralist Doug Myerscough, greet patrons of Rangra Theater in Alpine while commanding attention from passing motorists.
By Dennie Miller
It’s been fun watching the progression of the murals being painted in downtown Alpine. I have only the utmost respect and admiration for anyone who can take the side of a building and by using their imagination, turn it into an elegant, often whimsical piece of art on a scale bigger than life.
On East Holland Avenue, Doug Myerscough, a muralist from Denison, has transformed the front of Rangra Theater into a cinematic playground. Myerscough’s work was funded by contributions obtained locally and by the theater owner, with much of the work donated by the artist.
Depicted at street level are adventure-movie icons including Darth Vader, ET, Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones, John Wayne, James Dean and others, while portraits of Marilyn Monroe, Marlin Brando and Pierce Brosnan as James Bond peer from recesses near the top of the building. And an image of a Sul Ross graduate, the late Dan Blocker as Hoss Cartwright, holds a prominent position next to the ticket window. This celebration of movie magic commands attention from anyone passing by, leaving little doubt what takes place behind the glass entrance doors.
Around the corner and facing Fifth Street, an even more grandiose mural is coming to life on the side of Kiowa Gallery. Created by noted muralist Stylle Read of Cleburne, the completed mural will depict a compilation of people, places and things peculiar to Alpine. The mural was commissioned by Kiowa Gallery and is expected to be complete in a few weeks.
The work of Read is familiar to many in the Big Bend Country. For a number of years, his mural, “Milton Faver Crossing the Rio Grande on a Full Moon in 1873”, graced the side of Kiowa Gallery and was the subject of an article in Texas Monthly. His artwork adorns the exterior of Big Bend Saddlery in Alpine and the interior walls of the Reata Restaurants (Fort Worth and Alpine) and the Best Western Motels (Farmington, N.M., and Alpine.)
Other outdoor murals in the area can be viewed at the Alpine Public Library (painted by SRSU art instructor Carol Fairlee and her students), the side of the Alpine Recreation Center (painted by Kelly Dyal and student volunteers, the Alpine Thrift Shop (by Feather), Lucy’s Christmas Store in Alpine (by Brenda Young) and the Crystal Bar in Alpine (Read).
Experienced muralists make painting a wall look easy. The fact is, things do not always go as expected.
“ When I began, I could find very little written on the technique of painting murals,” Myerscough said. “My first mural was lousy. Everything was out of proportion. One nice old guy who had been a billboard artist all his life hit the nail on the head when he said, ‘Never backed up once while you were paintin’ it, did ya?’”
Painting murals has been described as somewhere between fine art and painting a house. The hours can be long, the work tedious, and a piece of public art is open to criticism (not everyone interprets it in the same way). Most muralists will tell you there are misunderstandings regardless of how clear the message is to most viewers.
“There seems to be a misconception that true artists must starve, be miserable, wear black and have drug problems,” Myerscough said. “I’m the happiest guy on the planet, love life, wear black only when it’s a gift and eat like a Clydesdale.”
And once the paint has dried, it’s up to the rest of us to enjoy what we see. For me, that won’t be a problem.
What a great thing to be able to do, to create a work of art.