Local artist has big plans for mural

Article Photos

LEWISTOWN - When Dwight Kirkland first brought his business to the area many years ago, he never imagined he'd be painting the town, literally.

Kirkland, a muralist and owner of Black Leaf Studio LLC in Mifflintown, recently was asked by the Juniata Valley Area Chamber of Commerce and the Juniata River Valley Visitors Bureau to paint a mural at Victory Park in Lewistown this spring to recognize military men and women.

Kirkland, of Mifflintown, said he had a meeting with the chamber and after reviewing his work, it asked him to create a mural for the park.

"The chamber is kindly covering all material costs for the project," he said.

Big plans for Victory Park

For the mural, Kirkland was given the idea of a timeline from 1919 to the present by the chamber, Kirkland said.

"(Chamber members) asked if I could create a design based on all the wars that took place during that period," he said. "I came up with all the designs and ideas for layout, which they approved."

Last year marked the 90th anniversary of the park, which was established in 1919, Kirkland said. He said the purpose of the mural is to acknowledge men and women who have served and who currently serve in the military.

"The chamber and myself hope the mural will bring a beautiful showpiece to the park and Lewistown, as well as (recognize) the sacrifice of so many men and women over the years who have served in our military," he said. "I know (the chamber is) very excited to have this addition to the park and believe it will be a big tourist draw for the area."

The mural is scheduled to be unveiled on July 4 during the Juniata RiverFEST, Kirkland said.

Jill Haubrick, administrative assistant at the Juniata River Valley Visitor's Bureau, said the mission of the project is to implement a mural dedicated "to those who responded to the colors."

She said Victory Park is a good spot for the mural because RiverFEST is held there every year and the park was established in honor of veterans.

Haubrick said as of now the project is scheduled to begin sometime in April, when the wall will be sandblasted. Then, in May through early June, priming, transposing images onto the wall and painting will probably take place, she said. And in the second week of June, a graffiti blocker will be applied, she said.

All plans are dependent on the weather, Haubrick added.

"We just wanted to do something in dedication to (the military)," she said.

Money to do the project, Haubrick explained, was gained through profits made during last year's Festival of Ice, held during the winter, and RiverFEST.

"We are spending money (on events) the community has supported," she said.

Haubrick said the chamber and visitor's bureau has discussed the mural project for quite some time, but it became an official plan about a year ago.

"We just wanted to add to the park, being that it is for veterans," she said.

Terry Wade, president of the Mifflin County Veterans Association, said the mural will be a good thing for all veterans, past, present and future, and will be nice for them to look at.

"I think it's a very worthwhile project," he said. "It will really enhance the beauty of the park."

Kirkland's story

Kirkland, originally of Dallas, Texas, has been painting murals for 25 years. He was employed for a company in Atlanta, Ga., for 10 years where he worked on set designs for corporate and special events, such as the circus, he said.

That work faded in the late 1990s, he said, so he got into commercial illustration where he licensed artwork to various companies.

At that time, he moved to the Juniata Valley in 1998. He continued to do commercial artwork, he said, but then about a year ago brought back his mural business in addition. He paints both residential and commercial murals.

Through his company, Kirkland has painted murals for a variety of local businesses, such as the Waterfront Tavern-Restaurant in Lewistown, Rich Coast Coffee and the Burnham Original Italian Pizza. The artwork he did for the Waterfront is the restaurant's sign, which is painted on the side of a house on U.S. 322 East.

Other local work

Since painting for the Waterfront, Kirkland's business has really taken off, he said. He now has another major project scheduled for the spring in addition to the one at Victory Park, he said, and is hoping for even more.

"It's actually played out really well," he said about his mural business.

Kirkland's other upcoming project includes a mural for Nittany Paper Mills Inc. in Lewistown, which still is in the development process, he said.

The process for creating each mural is relatively similar, Kirkland said, although the timelines vary. Some murals take a week or two, while others take about five weeks to complete, he said.

The first step of the process is design, Kirkland said. The design process is done through Adobe Photoshop, in order to see what the final result will look like.

Then, when the design has been approved, Kirkland outlines the drawings onto the location in the picture, he said. He then projects the images at night in order to get a good perspective.

After that comes the freehand work, he said.

"Each piece will be painted individually over a period of five weeks," he said in reference to the plans for the Victory Park mural.

Kirkland either air brushes or uses a paintbrush for his work, he added.

Most businesses have an idea of what they would like the mural to look like, Kirkland said, but he does get to use his imagination for a lot of pieces.

"Some people are pretty free about it," he said.

Also, some of the businesses Kirkland has painted for designs their own pieces.

"You kind of get a feel for what people want," he said.

Kirkland also is working on an additional project at the Burnham OIP. He is in the process of painting five small murals inside the restaurant. He completed one larger one on the back wall of the banquet room last month, and is expecting to be done with the others within the next week and a half, he said.

Michael Bailey, owner of the Burnham OIP, said he knew Kirkland was painting murals and when he saw the one made for the Waterfront, he got an idea for the banquet room at the restaurant, he said. He talked to Kirkland about the idea for about the past year, he said.

The Burnham OIP had been remodeled in 1994, Bailey said, so it needed a fresh look.

"He's just really done an excellent job," Bailey said about Kirkland's work so far.

He said it's been fun working through the process with Kirkland and imagining what the final pieces will look like.

Knowing his talent, Bailey said about Kirkland, "we just give him artistic license to create."

Bailey said he's excited with how the work is going.

"And our customers absolutely love it," he said. "It makes a nice setting (in the banquet room)."

The restaurant's smaller murals, which will be located throughout the main dining area, will feature Italian scenery, Bailey said, and some will resemble looking out over an Italian villa.

Part of the idea, he said, is to give the restaurant "more of an old-world feel," Bailey said.

Kirkland added that the mural in the back room is good for business because customers often want to sit by artwork when they dine.

"That in itself, that draws people in," he said.

In terms of any other projects down the road, Kirkland said he has a lot going on.

"There (are) future plans for other jobs," he said.

Victory Park is located along the Juniata River. The mural will be located under the river bridge, according to information provided by Haubrick.

Groups involved with the project, in addition to the chamber of commerce and visitor's bureau, include the Mifflin County Veterans Association and the Mifflin County Historical Society, the information states.

According to its Web site, Black Leaf Studio creates murals, original fine art and illustrations. The art is featured in homes, galleries, and advertising and corporate marketing in the United States and abroad.

For more information, call Black Leaf Studio at 348-0648 or visit www.blackleafstudio.com.