I always recount how everything I have ever done has been preparation for what I am about to do. That's how God works in my life. My lifelong interest in history, my love for music, and my ability as a mural artist have all come together in my latest project on the outside wall of Blues Alley in Navasota.
My friend Bert Miller wanted a mural that celebrated our local history,and especially the music legends spawned here. As soon as he mentioned it, I knew what needed to be on that wall...
But being almost "out of gas" so to speak, I needed someone talented and energetic who could help me conquer what promised to be a considerable physical challenge. Luke Graham, an art student at Sam Houston State University, proved to be that person. He met the challenge wholeheartedly and saw the experience as a learning opportunity. With that commitment I agreed to attack the wall... and the results have been stunning, even to me.
Thank you Luke, better known to your art professors as Frank, for helping make an important tribute to achievement, and an artistic monument that will educate many people for many years.
I have made a blog (surprise!) just about this mural at Blues Alley, where you can see the mural in detail and learn a lot you did not now about Brazos Valley music history. Click on the following LINK: http://navasotamusicmural.blogspot.com/
All of these musicians have left their mark on this town in some way. Many of them had been forgotten for the most part. I do not understand why or how people ignore or forget human achievement, because we all draw inspiration from it. We all get a lift knowing that our neighbors did well, made a name, made the world a little bit better place.
It will be a hard thing for Navasota to forget, with this mural reminding them every time they pass through town. That is the power of art.
My friend Bert Miller wanted a mural that celebrated our local history,and especially the music legends spawned here. As soon as he mentioned it, I knew what needed to be on that wall...
But being almost "out of gas" so to speak, I needed someone talented and energetic who could help me conquer what promised to be a considerable physical challenge. Luke Graham, an art student at Sam Houston State University, proved to be that person. He met the challenge wholeheartedly and saw the experience as a learning opportunity. With that commitment I agreed to attack the wall... and the results have been stunning, even to me.
Thank you Luke, better known to your art professors as Frank, for helping make an important tribute to achievement, and an artistic monument that will educate many people for many years.
I have made a blog (surprise!) just about this mural at Blues Alley, where you can see the mural in detail and learn a lot you did not now about Brazos Valley music history. Click on the following LINK: http://navasotamusicmural.blogspot.com/
All of these musicians have left their mark on this town in some way. Many of them had been forgotten for the most part. I do not understand why or how people ignore or forget human achievement, because we all draw inspiration from it. We all get a lift knowing that our neighbors did well, made a name, made the world a little bit better place.
It will be a hard thing for Navasota to forget, with this mural reminding them every time they pass through town. That is the power of art.
