Wenatchee Mural Artists Take on Commemorative Project
Known for murals around the Wenatchee Valley and elsewhere, a team of artists is gearing up for the biggest project of them all.
"The Rural Mural Plural" is comprised of Marlin Peterson, Ellen Bruex and Heather Dappen.
After submitting a concept design, the group was selected to commemorate 100 years of the Ellensburg Rodeo with a mural project on the city's water tower.
"It's going to be so large. It's just a great canvas. The water tower just sits there in the distance. Perfect place for a mural." Peterson said.
The group uses bright and vibrant colors with many of their projects, but Peterson says they had to come up with something that suits the environment of Ellensburg and the popular rodeo.
"The horse and rider and the calf and lariat, we wanted a high action scene. And Heather was more in charge of doing the typography and we did a lot of different mockups, just trying to figure out what text was necessary." Peterson said.
To the job right, Peterson says they've reserved some lifts to reach the top of the tower.
"I've never been on a lift that gets up to 65 feet before. It's always been a life goal for me to get larger and larger walls and bigger and bigger lifts. So, this really scratches the itch."
The group plans to get started July 1st and finish up by the end of the month, well ahead of the big event on Labor Day Weekend.
If you're unfamiliar with "The Rural Mural Plural", they've completed several projects around the Wenatchee Valley including paintings on the sides of the North Central Regional Library and YMCA.
Peterson and Bruex are art instructors at Wenatchee Valley College. Dappen is a former WVC student and specializes in typography and graphic design. They have received significant grants for their creative work, including the Icicle Creek Grant and Woods Family Music and Arts Grant. Dappen and Breux can be found at Fight the Beige. More on Peterson's projects can be found here.
Check out some of their works by clicking on the following links:
Also check out the Rural Mural Plural gallery by scrolling down.
The Rural Mural Plural