Wild about art: Mural brings focus to song, artists
A vivid, 15-color mural celebrating music legend Dolly Parton's song Wildflowers has taken root, thanks to the efforts of Meridian Community College Graphic Design Coordinator and Instructor Daniel Ethridge and members of the Meridian Museum of Art Collective.
Painted on the exterior wall of a Philadelphia restaurant, the mural spans 18 feet by 36 feet capturing the song's essence while providing an interactive experience for the viewer. Ethridge and MMA Collective artists Cary Haycox, Kris Gianakos, Leslie Carruth, and Marsha Iverson spearheaded the project with country music star Marty Stewart's vision to guide them to and through the Wildflowers theme.
"I pitched it as an interactive mural, and so it is,” Ethridge said, "A giant butterfly comes out of the flowers, so it's animated; a bee flies between the flowers," he added. There are links to Parton and Stewart's websites and the Congress of Country Music, a Philadelphia-based museum and performing arts center housing the most extensive private collection of country music artifacts worldwide.
It took the artists two months to complete the project, Ethridge said. "We were working limited hours because of the heat," he added, remembering that the thermometer registered in the triple digits many days. But they didn't work solo. "We had three community days where we had Philadelphia residents come and help us paint," he explained. The citizen artists didn't have to have an artist aptitude or talent, just the ability to fill in the outline that was drawn in preparation for the work.
The design, which was done by Ethridge, was done in three-foot grids. "We break it down to three-inch boxes, and from there, we can have exact detail," he explained. "If you have a 12-foot rose, you know exactly where that rose is on the wall."
Old-school mural painters may have had to have tediously mapped out a design. However, thanks to computer technology and art-specific software, including Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator, there's another way of plotting efficiently. "We fuse graphic design with traditional art," Ethridge said.
"That's our secret weapon; it's a way we can do what we do effectively," he said.
"We can take a picture of it, map it on the canvas or wall, get a grid going, and make it to scale perfect – with precision."
The technique Ethridge said is the same as international artists such as Shephard Fairey employ in major cities. "We're using it because it's got to be right. It’s got to look like the idea you proposed."
The success of this mural is providing a path for other projects. Ethridge said he and the artist group have recently completed a mural at the Meridian Airport saluting the City's connection to aviation. There are works in the development stages with a local business and for an 80-foot by 20-foot mural in Philadelphia. That work will be more interpretive, he said.
So, what was Parton's reaction to the Wildflower mural? "Wow! That's a song I wrote a thousand years ago," she said as she took in the expansive work. She and Stuart would perform a snippet from the song Wildflowers at the mural unveiling.
"It was a surreal experience," Ethridge said as he and the other painters watched, standing a foot from the musical performers. "It was amazing."
Visit meridiancc.edu/graphicdesign to learn more about Ethridge’s program.