Local artist and teacher Jesse Thompson stands next to the mural he recently completed on Main Street in Mount Gilead.
Alberta Stojkovic | AIM Media Midwest
There is a colorful mural on Main Street in Mount Gilead which is bringing joy to residents who hope it’s the beginning of a renaissance for the village.
Jesse Thompson, a local artist who is also the Mount Gilead High School art teacher, completed the mural in July, just in time for Community Days. Thompson said Friends of the Village member Gabrielle Kosztelnik asked him to submit a design for a mural that would bring a spark to the downtown and put life in the dull, concrete wall on Main Street.
The village group had a few requests for the mural design. They wanted him to use the color purple, but not an “in your face bright purple.” They also wanted him to include arrows and flowers in the design with a “Bohemian” flair.
Thompson was pleased when the group voted to choose his design. The first thing he did was choose the colors he would use. He had never done a mural on a large scale and decided to project the drawing he made onto the wall before he began to paint. He sketched most of the design on the wall and also did some painting freehand at the end of the mural.
The wall was in fairly good shape but required some patching with a foam filler before he painted the prime coat. He used exterior latex paint with a final protective coat against sun and water. Thompson said he enjoyed the challenge of keeping earth tones and a balance of neutral and brighter colors. He said he is always giving his students directions on how to observe colors and this time he had to take his own advice.
The next school year will be Thompson’s 16th as the Mount Gilead High School art teacher. He is a Mount Vernon Nazarene University art education major and did his student teaching in Mount Gilead with retired art teacher Robin Brucker.
Thompson will be completing a mural in a very different style on the west wall of the Morrow County History Center on West High Street this summer. It was commissioned by the Morrow County Historical Society and will be structured as a postcard with past scenes of Morrow County and agriculture.
“The idea of the mural was to get the ball rolling on sprucing up the town,” Thompson said. “It got people talking and several have asked me to consider doing a mural at other locations.”
Kosztelnik said the Friends of the Village worked on the idea of a mural for over a year. They had several fundraisers and received donations to pay for the mural. Several artists were contacted and submitted designs. “We’re really pleased with Jesse’s work and have had many positive comments about the mural,” Kosztelnik said.
Friends of the Village member Kate Stuttler said, “Gabrielle really spearheaded the mural project and put a lot of work into it. We’re excited to see things happen in the village and see some of our plans come to fruition.”
Stuttler said the Friends of the Village evolved from the Mount Gilead Merchants Association to include more residents and have more involvement in community events and downtown beautification.
The Friends of the Village would like to extend the mural wall and have other projects in mind to make the village more appealing.
Stuttler and Kosztelnik offered an invitation to anyone with an interest in the village to attend their monthly meetings on the fourth Tuesday of the month from 12-1 p.m. at The Gathering Place located at 30 S. Main St. in Mount Gilead.
Donation boxes for the extended mural project and beautification for the village are at E.D. S Sauce Guys, Sames & Cook, Legend Records, B Chic Boutique, Fun Factory Hobbies, The Village Gathering Place, Domino’s Pizza, Gilead Fitness and Joe’s True Value.
Alberta Stojkovic is a correspondent for the Morrow County Sentinel.
