Mural week day 5

Murals

As Friday ended, most of the muralists were still working on their murals. The mural on the LaRue Pool building was mostly finished.

But Rein was applying some finishing touches when I stopped by.

 If you examine the mural closely, you might find a treasure chest guarded by a sea serpent.

One of the trademarks of the artist doing the lady on the Horton building is the texture of the paintings. You cannot see it from a distance, but it is very clear when you get close.

Here is what the mural looked like on Friday evening.

Nick Abstract may have finished his mural. He worked through a lot of heat.

Trent Musch finished his mural at the back of eMbers.

The artist explained what she was trying to do with this dragon with a candle but I did not understand it well enough to try to repeat it.

The tools of the trade.

The back of City Hall is very colorful. I have not asked the artist what it all means.

As the Dueling Pianos were playing nearby, Holly Sims was finishing her mural.

Friday was a brutally hot day and the muralist painting the side of Anders Water Conditioning shows it.

Notes

Tonight's celebration was Dueling Pianos. It appeared that the turnout was good. There were a lot of people playing cornhole.

Earlier on Friday panels were being assembled in the alley behind Markit Arts. They will be used on Saturday in a painting contest involving some of the muralists and a few local residents at the Art in the Alley event.

I expected more to be set up for Art in the Alley when I passed by midday on Friday. 

Friday was Teen Mission's Community Day at Brookside Park. A long line of cars waited for free food. 

Below is the chimney that was taken down yesterday at the power plant.

The contractor was removing lead service lines along Weston Street today. 

Mural week, days 3 & 4

Murals

Most of the Rensselaer murals are nearing completion. Below is the scooter behind eMbers as of Thursday evening. It is being painted by Holly Sims.

On the fence at the back of eMbers the mural below was almost finished when I took the picture. It is hard to photograph unless the light is just right. It is by Moosey, a local artist.

On Wednesday morning the water had been added to the background of the mural for the pool house.

By Thursday evening some of the details were finished.

The artist is Rensselaer's Rein Bontreger.

On Thursday the back of the Republican became a painting of a dragon with a candle.

The artist goes with the signature of sub_urban-warrior.

The lady on the back of the Horton building is painted by artisterast.  Notice the little boxes being installed on Thursday evening. This mural may have moving parts and be more than just a painting. The artist is from France.

Travmsk is painting two walls behind City Hall. 

Nick-abstract is painting part of the side of the Rensselaer Republican building. He has previously painted two murals (three if you count the graffiti on the other side of this building) in Rensselaer.

I could not figure out what the jumble of letters was supposed to say. There are only four letters that matter. Can you find the S, E, A, and N?

Finally, on the side of Anders Water Conditioning the dog and rose are almost finished. The artist signs his work viszla-bacon. 

I have seen only one post about the murals being done in Wheatfield.

At the power plant

Workers are getting ready to move the last engine that remains in the power plant.

I asked a worker how they would move it. He said that they would jack it up and put rollers under it and then roll it out. I hope I get to watch some of the process.

On Thursday a truck delivered a bigger truck. The bigger truck will haul a special trailer with the engine about twenty miles where it will be loaded onto a railroad car for further transport.

I stopped by on Thursday just in time to see the removal of the large chimney that this last engine used. Two cranes, the very big one and a smaller one, were used.

I moved to another position to see if I could get any closer.

From a third position I could see the chimney hanging just a few feet from the ground.

Notes

On Thursday people were setting up for the Dueling Pianos event that will be held where Longs' Gifts once stood. The event is Friday evening and the admission charge is $15.

There is a second event that will mark the end of Mural Week, Art in the Alley on Saturday. It will be held in Foundation Park from 11:00 until 7:30.

NITCO has been burying cable along Harrison Street. There were two directional drilling machines at work.

We need more rain. The grass has again stopped growing and is turning brown in some places. 

Mural week Day 2

Murals

Early on Tuesday the lady on the back of the Horton-Yallaly building still looked awful. The artist did not like the texture of the wall so had patched it.

However, by noon her face was restored.

This is what she looked like as I went to the Farmers Market in the evening.

On Tuesday morning the back of the Rensselaer Republican building was still being prepped.

In the afternoon the artist, who a couple of years ago did the firefly mural across the alley, was marking up the wall.

On Tuesday morning I asked what the artist was painting on the back of Embers. Can you tell?

By the afternoon it was pretty obvious that it was a scooter.

This wall is in the sun in the late afternoon so the artist works early in the day.

The Anders Water Conditioning wall is in the sun early in the morning, so that is the best time to photograph it.

In the morning there was a sketch on the back of City Hall.

I could not tell what the artist was trying to paint midday.

At the end of the day I still could not tell what the subject was.

Trent Musch is repainting a fence at the back of eMbers.

On Monday morning the LaRue bath house had its base layer of paint.

Later in the day some of the background was finished.

I told the artist, Rein Bontreger, that I thought a large shark eating a small child would work really well on the wall. Or perhaps a huge shark mouth surrounding the door. Instead he wants something cheery and playful. Below are sketches of what he intends to paint.

Kids night at the Farmers Market

Tuesday was kids night at the Farmers Market and the turnout was huge. I do not think the vendors were very busy, but the many businesses and organizations that set up booths were.

The bounce houses were popular.

The Fire Department let kids hold a fire hose and shoot water at a target. Fair Queen royalty also got a chance.

Fair Oaks Farms came to the market with a cow.

I am not sure who the pig and bunny were representing, but they were happy to pose for pictures.

Among the many organizations at the Market was the Jasper County Airport. I asked if my guess was right about a new hire of an assistant manager and was told that the new person started on Tuesday.

The ladies of JCEDO posed for me.

Christy Fleming on the right owns Willow Switch. Her business will close in August and in September a new business, Cup of Joy, another coffee shop, will open in the building. See here for the announcement.

Notes

There is a gigantic crane parked by the power plant. I suspect it is there to move the remaining engine. The City sold it months ago, but it is huge and it will be fun to see how it is moved.

Workers are now moving things into the former Walgreens building. Below are counters labeled Dollar Tree.

These are shelves.