Missy Miles's -Murals of Guin

The Freedom Eagle revisited 4-15-2011

2011-04-15T05:57:00.000-07:00

I would like to thank everyone that has visited the wall and remembered what our troops have fought so hard for....Freedom.

Last week I had a visitor at the studio that was from MI. He had been in a van accident and was staying in Hamilton while his vehicle was being repaired. He is a Vietnam Vet and is traveling around with his bucket list of sorts. He was a fascinating man with a wealth of information. His stay was extended due to the repairs and he took in all he could in our town. His attitude was inspiring. Not angry of his accident, nor being stuck in a unfamiliar surrounding. I could only hope my attitude would have been the same. He seen the Indian mounds, Jerry Browns Studio, a gunsmith (don't recall his name), Organic Vessels Studio, and the murals in Guin. He left a cd of his photos on his way out of town. The following ......courtesy of Chuck Hanners.

I wish safe travels to me new friend Chuck. Thank you so much for sharing.

Since the Murals completion, I have received numerous photos of individual in front of the mural. Several of those photos have themselves positioned in front with their arms spread out like the eagle. Each touches my heart so much. The wall is for everyone and I am so honored to have been able to design it.

September 30, 2009- The Finish line

2009-10-01T07:54:00.000-07:00

Today was a beautiful day to finish the project of the Freedom Eagle. I am so proud of the mural and what it represents. The light breeze with fall weather made the day very productive. A song bird visited me for most the day and It was the most peaceful day. The project started June 29, 2009, and this was the first day I was able to tone out the traffic noise of log trucks and trains to remain focused. I am so thank-full for my Parents for encouraging me that The Freedom Eagle is complete. One of the most difficult things to do is to decide when a piece is at it's end. I have so many ideas that could be added to the piece but they are not needed. It is depicting what I intended and I am pleased with the result. I feel Our Veterans and fine folks of Guin would agree.

Two streams of light depict our recovery from the 9-11 attacks. The faint landscape illustrating the rough terrain of Afghanistan can be seen above the group of troops praying. I choose to over lap the two because the wars are concurrent and ongoing. The image of prayer is powerful to me and I felt lead to use this image to pay tribute to our brave men and women serving today. I hope everyone that sees the tribute feel lead to pray for our Country. Pray for our leaders. Pray for our Soldiers to return home safely. Pray for the families that have lost their loved ones fighting for our Country and helping others.

Totals for the project: 42 days 236.5 hours.

A sincere thank you to all involved. I appreciate the opportunity to work in my home town and feel honored to have met so many wonderful Veterans and family of Veterans during the project.

The plans for the next mural are in the works. Keep checking the blog for updates.

9-10-09

2009-09-10T09:27:00.001-07:00

Over-all progress.
Tomorrow our country will be remembering the attack of eight years ago. 9/11 will never be forgotten. It is only appropriate to paint my tribute to those we lost on that day ....on that date. The monument in NYC is two beams of lights symbolizing the Twin Towers. I will be painting Two Towers of Pageant Blue color. This will be simple but very symbolic. Many have shared their views of including or excluding this on the mural. This is a piece of public art and opinions will always be varied. I know how I feel about 9/11. Many friends have loved ones serving due to that day. Maybe not directly due to the attack, because of the emotion it evoked to sign up and serve our country. We are now in two wars, War in Afghanistan and War in Iraq. Weather you agree with the wars or not.....we still are in them. We have to stand together and support our Troops!

The revision of the Memorial to the SS. Arizona. After studying my design , This is a better tribute then illustrating the actual event of the attack. It shows how Americans overcome adversity and remain strong. I will be adding more detail of the ship shadowed beneath the monument.

Completed Gulf War tribute. I appreciate the input of Mr. Duke and Roger Gann.

8-24-09

2009-08-24T07:17:00.000-07:00

Today is beautiful, and I'm preparing for a productive day. While in the shop I'm printing some reference photos and getting mentally prepared for what the day may hold. Yesterday I attempted to portray a tank in the Gulf War tribute and was dissatisfied with the composition. I have revamped my vision to portraying members of the 877Th National Guard to be in the foreground with c-130's fling behind them. I have completed the planes and the burning oil wells Saturday. Yesterday I added shadow to Our flag and started the outlining or the World Trade center.

I want to take a moment and thank the Veterans that have shared stories of their service with me. I have always heard that a picture has a thousand words.....I feel this one has so many more.

Thank you to Ottis for sharing his thoughts on the time line. All the wars shown are ones for LIBERTY. Not of ones over land. Battles for Freedom. We all need to be reminded of how fortunate we are to live in these United States. -----Together we stand!

More photos are coming soon.

8-17-2009

2009-08-17T09:59:00.000-07:00

This morning I was able to get the Pearl harbor Tribute roughed in. This was inspired from a photo that was recovered from a Brownie camera after the attack. It was found in a foot locker. The shot depicts smoke and flames billowing from a refueling ship. I would like to add a battleship. I also plan to darken the water a bit. The brick below reads " December 7, 1941" May we never forget!

The flag was raised last week and color added. I'm very pleased with the change. The flag now is tucked and protected by the Eagles right wing.

Completed Vietnam Tribute- I struggled with the boots. I was unable to locate a photo for reference, so I found my self visualizing what a leather boot would look like. I pictured soldiers marching in mud and brush. I took in account how sweat would break and discolor the leather. How soldiers laced and pulled tight for support was also running Through my mind. And one more consideration on the boots was....keeping the details so that it is aesthetically pleasing from 10' away.

I really love this shot. The yellow flowers in the foreground are beautiful. God Bless our Troops!

2009-08-16T11:29:00.000-07:00

I apologize for the lapse of time between entries. I have completed the Vietnam Tribute and have been busy researching photos for inspiration on the upcoming Tributes. I have found this to be extremely frustrating and emotional. The following link is one that described some of the reasons why I'm experiencing problems. Military Censorship of Photographs. In this essay he discusses the Gulf War being difficult to cover. http://commfaculty.fullerton.edu/lester/writings/military.html This is a progression shot of the Vietnam Tribute. I have since finished and now tring to find the photo of the finished Tribute.

Close up of the soldier with the machine gun. The brick wall had a hole on his face and I did my best to have it fall in line with his eye.

After looking at the blog a realized I did not show the photos of the WW1 Tribute completed.

8-9-09 Update on progress

2009-08-09T09:23:00.001-07:00

Getting smarter at my old age....I set up a tent to get out of the sun. I guess I was testing my endurance. I can work longer and more comfortable now. It also keeps the brick from heating up.

While studying the Korean War I was able to refresh my earlier history lessons. The united States joined our Allies with the united Nations to protect Korean Citizens from North Korean Communism. The monument in Washington portrays 19 soldiers. Their reflections are in granite before them that total 38. This symbolizes the 38 parallel. The border being fought for. In learning this, I desired to include some sort of symbolism with in the tribute. Not sure on how I continues with my sketch of the three men wearing the rain ponchos. I studied my lay out and discovered the first soldier lies under the third feather and there is a crack in the wall under the eighth feather. The 38 parallel was provided by God. I would also like to note that the journalist that where held in North Korea where released on the day I completed the tribute. They were arrested of trespassing on the 38 parallel.

Tribute to WW1- Trench warfare was used during this period. It was also the first time for Mustard and poisonous gases. Using grey and sepia tones , heavy shading shows folds and movement in their uniforms.

Journal Record Article-7-18-2009

2009-07-25T08:20:00.000-07:00

Kathryn Hirschfeld did a wonderful job on the piece. I appreciate the mural getting the recognition and helping Guin.

Updated photos of blocking in WW1 and added shadowing

2009-07-25T07:54:00.000-07:00

The new scene was approved and pushing forward with the trench war scene with soldiers with gas mask.

Over all shot showing composition. When I take these photos I study them on my TV to help plan the next day.

Working on Civil War Tribute

2009-07-25T07:30:00.000-07:00

Today was challenging due to the heat and confined quarters with the rose bushes. I also found that the wheels and hubs to be difficult. The wheels are askew ed and the spokes were tricky to achieve the correct perspective.

After blocking in the scene with the pageant Blue I decided the scale needed to be enlarged. In this shot you can see the start of the new scale with the Elephant Grey.

7-21-09

2009-07-21T15:17:00.001-07:00

Tribute to WW2- A rendition of the monument in Washington D.C. of Iwa Jima. Today I worked on more shadowing and added a shaded flag. I used Pageant song to create a haze and plan to fade it more into the Renderious blue once the composition is lay ed out more .

WW1 tribute- A rendition of a Airplane. This time period is when the Air Force split from the Army Air Core. After much thought and consideration I purposed to Mayor Segraves to change this subject matter. I have done some additional research and feel a trench war scene will portray this War more appropriately. I plan to sketch a scene with soldiers in gas mask for the City Board to approve. I think the change is also more in line with the other tributes. They all will have soldiers portrayed. I might add a plane in the distance.

Civil War Tribute- A scene of Three soldiers loading a cannon. The shadowing and shading will be done with the same shades as Iwa Jima tribute. I enlarged the scene from the original sketch due to the large rose bushes. There is more to transferring points to get the proportion correct. When one area is altered , It is important to consider the whole composition. Enlarging the Civil War scene makes it necessary to enlarge the others to keep the whole scene balanced. I am also being careful to not crowd the scenes which would make the whole work confusing and loose the flow.

7 days in

2009-07-16T09:55:00.000-07:00

I'm so pleased with the Eagle's stern look.

Day 5 was spent detailing the eyes and beak. I used Golden glow for the eye, and beak color. the shadow was done with elephant grey and abby white. the shadowing in the eyes and beak were with caval brown and light touches of black magic.

Day 4 detailing of the left wing.

Project notes for the first 3 days

2009-07-09T07:12:00.000-07:00

I want to thank all the individuals for sharing there kind words on the progress. I truly appreciate the confidence the town has given me.

This is the largest mural thus far and much more time is needed in blocking in the base colors. For those following the blog.....just wait...the shadowing and detailing are going to really make the design.

Tyring out a new sprayer I lay ed in the brown- (Carvel brown). I was unhappy with the coverage and went back to trusty brushes. The sprayer would save time, but with the rough surface I am more confident with the 2" and 1" brushes.

After studying and checking measurement from the previous night, I discovered I lost 4' on the right wing. (Lost in the night) I corrected the error and the balance and the wing spread is now much more appealing.

Day 2- Thursday 7-2-09 Temp was around 98 degrees and the heat index was around 102. I spent some of the afternoon transferring measurements from my drawing to the wall. I decided to come back in the evening and try working at night. This was more comfortable but the lights made it difficult to mark with the shadowing. The bricks are in good shape but much of the mortar is missing. Painting by lights at night was difficult to insure complete coverage. I also discovered in plotting out my design that some revisions are necessary. The area where the depiction of the Civil War is to be located has beautiful roses planted in front of it. Enlarging the design will balance under the left wing.

Feeling a little odd covering the previous design "We Support our Troops", I felt it necessary to put in extra time before the July 4 Th holiday. I stayed until 11:30 p.m. to paint the Eagles head and top part of his wings. This was enough to give a clue to the community who may have not seen the design to know what was about to happen on this 74' wall.

Day 1 was spent getting the work area prepared. The wall has a large flower bed in front of it and the ground I'm working on is mulch. This is a little problematic due to the fact this wall will be done off ladders. I tried placing pallets and plywood over the sprinkler head to make for a stable foundation.

This photo shows the pallets at the base of the wall

The primer used is Zinser-Bulls-eye 1-2-3. It is a great primer with wonderful coverage. I had it tinted a light grey to make the colors that will be covering it warmer. This also helps with glare since the wall is in full sun.

Guin's Memorial Park Mural-June 29,2009

2009-06-29T08:01:00.000-07:00

The wall is pressured washed,and I have the paint and equipment ready for the next mural project. The plans for this mural began back in September of last year. The Guin City council have approved the design and this will be accomplished from the wonderful assistance of the Mayfest committee. A special thank you goes to Roger for the extra time he spent this past HOT Saturday to clean the wall for me. :>

The following are photo's from the monuments in the park:

The existing flag and "We support out troops" was painted by Bart McDonald back in 1992. I have met with him and he is supportive of the project. ( I felt it only appropriate to consult with him since the mural will be covering his painting.) The new design will include a timeline of Wars.

May 12 Completion day

2009-05-13T10:08:00.001-07:00

When the weather clears, I will be adding my signature and a couple of items.

I'm so pleased with the project. It is difficult to determine when to stop. I have figured 132 hours and my estimate was for 120. I hope everyone enjoys the mural as much as I have making it. I want to thank Mrs. Junkin and Mrs. Snow for making the project possible. I look forward to working with them both in the future. I also want to thank Norma, Pam, Terry, and of course Mayor Segraves for being so supportive and encouraging of my work. I can't go on with out mentioning how thank-full I am for my Husband Tommy and the many dinners he has fixed me, and my parents for their constant encouragement and sharing the blog with everyone in Anderson SC and beyond. My parents are true gifts and I can't wait for them to see this one in person.

In this shot you can see the sheen on the window. I added 2-3 coats of marine varnish. The windows are marine plywood and the satin finish just on the glass areas add dimension. The varnish used has UV protection and is non-yellowing. The sun-proof paint is compatible with the product.

I felt the addition on an old calender would be kinda neat. I placed it slightly under the drape. The year is not known...just that it was in the 1900's. I circled the 12 Th day being that this is the day the mural is complete as per the sketch. I want to add a few additional surprises when the weather clears.

The gentleman across from Bobby had his hand and paper added today, along with a book. Desk hardware was done with Golden glow and flint colors.

Today (Tuesday) The two lanterns where added to the sides of the front doors. Sharkskin was used for the shadowing. Black magic (color) and bewitched with garlic clove highlights where used on the fixture.

May 7, 2009 ....

2009-05-08T08:31:00.001-07:00

I am very close to finishing. The Guin Mayfest is this week-end and I'm taking today (Fri) to gather gourd goodies for the show. I hope everyone has a wonderful Mother's Day.

White washed with Garlic Clove at and angle added the glare to show glass.

To help with the illusion of stepping back in time, I added an oil lamp, ledger and ink-well. I have to say that these where done by my memory and no photos where used for reference.

Detailing of the Right window took 7 hours today. The addition of a coat rack (with hat and coat), photos, and wooden chairs.

I added this photo for Mother's Day coming up this Sunday. This is an old-fashion tea rose my Step-Daughter..."Daughter" gave me on my birthday 3 years ago. This is the fullest I've ever seen it.

I had to add a photo of our new cook-ware. My Husband is awarded safety points at work and we where able to cash in on new Rachel Ray cook ware. I'm proud of him for his dedication to safety. Tommy made omelets last night in the skillet and he loves the new toys.
I also want to leave a little note to my buddy Kay.....I love the plate ya'll gifted me...notice it made it to the counter..he he

5-5-09

2009-05-06T07:59:00.001-07:00

The overall building after day 17. I believe the hours thus far are around 125.

This morning I visited with Bobby Page for a little photo shoot. Bobby Page means allot to me and I wanted to add him to the loan office here. I attempted to step back in time to visualize the surrounding in the 1900's. I'm planning to add desk accessories to contribute to the period too. Once I've finished accessorizing there will be a glare added to the window pains.

A closer shot of the door bolt.

The addition of brass kick plates and the bolt at the bottom of the door where also added.

I used golden glow to highlight the door hardware to resemble brass.

Today I started with some details. This photo shows the brass plate in the center of the door way. This is for the locks.

The start of Week 3-4-28

2009-04-29T06:37:00.000-07:00

In case those that are following the blog where wondering....Tommy has been having fun while I've been at the wall. He he he

Tuesday was spent adding the wood flooring. More shading is to come.

The victorian dressed teller is gazing down as if in tought. The brick and grout lines are difficult to poprtions to face features. At 4:30, when the shade is lost to direct sun, She does seen to have a cleft palett.

Monday the tellers where added along with more shading to the teller desk.

Sunday was spent detailing the teller desk. shading the details of the woodwork took quite a bit of time. A gentleman from Moline IL came by today and took photos. He pulled out his GPS and logged the coordinates for the mural here and at the arches. He informed me of http://www.waymarking.com/. He will be adding the murals to this site. I was very excited about this.

Week Two of Bank Mural

2009-04-26T08:14:00.001-07:00

Behind the tellers, a hint of an Victorian urn painting. I thought the addition would add to the period piece. It is challenging and fun to try and step back in time to imagine the setting in the 1900's.

The two tellers will be shadowed with hints of color. The goal of the project is to make the painting appealing from street side. (not 2' away)

The desk is penciled in and I plan to have it blocked in today. (Sunday 4-26)

The irregular arch was challenging. The third time is a charm. There were a series of paint a section....climb off the scaffoling....study...climb up cover up ....sketch again....climb down and study. The scale of the lettering was also a series of the same.

Flint grey was used and outlined in black magic. You can also see the roller shade on the right door that was added on Friday.

I believe I had a few worried with the addition of bewitched in the doorway. I wanted to give the colors chosen for the part a richer tone. The black magic was a base to change the colors to look differently than they would with the white primer beneath.

Climbing on the roof..( from the back of Tommy's barber shop) I painted upside down, leaning over the tar paper edge to complete the areas I could not reach with the scaffolding. I was going to wait to a later time to do this, but it was bothering me. I didn't like looking up at the uneven line.

The front section has the illusion of being taller and fading back over the center. This is different then the original drawing but I thought the effect would be understated and interesting.

The open front doors are classic brown with the edge of oyster shell

Shutters are Hat box Brown. I used Bewitched and sauteed Mushroom for the shading of the shutter louvers.

Day 2-5 Bank Mural

2009-04-20T06:21:00.000-07:00

Day 2- 4-14-09

It started off very chilly. I believe the temp was around 45 degrees. I penciled in the building lines and measured out for the vanishing point. I used my eye height 5-3 and centered it. This is the point where the walls will fade back to give the illusion of being recessed. When the temp was around 54 degrees I started to brush the colors of Stonington and gravel. I was planning to use my sprayer for this but the wind gust would not allow.

The paints being used are from Mc Cluskey's lumber. I selected Pittsburg Paint Sun Proof Exterior House paint. It is 100 % Acrylic Latex. I love the full body creaminess of the paint. most colors have great coverage in one coat.
The first blocking of color was Stonington.

Day 2

Twinkle Blue was used for the inset of sky. It is a light color and matched the sky to a t at different times of the day. I wanted a light color to just give the hint of the building being shorter.

Day 3

I changed the moulding form the original drawing. The building owner had expressed how she would like for the Stone at the front to be part of the design. I choose to continue the moulding across. I used Oyster shell shadowed with flint with splashes of shark skin and garlic clove. The original sketch had a large 2 foot moulding. I think the change blends right in.

Day 5

This was taken at 8:00 p.m. on Friday. I like the angle of the shot. You can see the 1st mural (Arches) in the background.

Day 1- Bank Mural

2009-04-20T06:11:00.000-07:00

Day 1 4-9-09
I spent a few hours with a side grinder gently passing over the flaking paint from the insurance sign. I want to thank the city workers of Guin for doing a fantastic job of preping the wall. Roger Gann took extra time to caulk some areas and presure wash debri to get the wall ready for me.

Thanks again for you help!

I used Zinsser bulls-eye 1-2-3 primer. It has sealed the wall to make the design go much smoother. It slicked up the wall and allowed for less paint to be used to get a great coverage.

Mural plans for Guin- (Bank)

2009-01-14T09:20:00.000-08:00

Privately own building slotted for the next mural in Guin. Prep work began right after Christmas. The boards in the windows are being replaced with marine grade plywood and when the weather permits, the pressure washing and scraping will commence.

This is the revised proposed design for the building. It measures 41' in length and 20' in height. The design will reflect finishes used in the 1900's. Gas lanterns on either side of the door and detailed moldings are two examples. The plaque on top of the door will read; Marion County Banking Company, Est. in 1903. The boarded windows will be painted to give the illusion of seeing inside the bank offices. small details of the backing of the drapes and drawers in the desk will be able to be seen. The center of the design will feature open doors within a one-point perspective recess. This will add dimension to the flat wall. (it is brick so it will be semi-flat)lol Within the doors the teller desk will show the detailed wood moldings used in the period.

Color selections where pulled from the stone from the existing stone used in the front. Splashes of wood tones and hints of color will be used in the windows and the door.

Another interesting note about the project, is the owner is now pursuing getting the First bank of Guin on the Historical registry for Alabama. The owner is also making the needed repairs to the building so it would be available for leasing.

Funding for this mural has already been establish and the design fee has been made. I will disclose once I have been gained permission to do so.

I'm excited about the project and I'm praying for warm weather to begin the transformation.

Patch Notes

2008-09-10T10:16:00.000-07:00

9-27-08 8-29-08- Tommy and I spend a wonderful afternoon together gathering our harvest...we each selected our favorites to pose with. My back says we gathered over 250.

Organic Vessels gourd patch

April 10th-Thursday-o8- Planted 24 gourd hills at the shop in Hamilton. Seeds from gourds purchased from Welburn gourd farm in CA where used. (Bottle necks & Kettle's) I plowed several passes to break the soil to almost powder. 4 seeds in each hill.

(9-10-08) Thursday- I have been so busy I have not checked the patch in a while. To my surprise.....many where ready to be pulled. This is done when the vine is dead and the stem is brown. Over whelming joy struck me to find my Bottle-necks the same or larger than the original gourd the seeds where cleaned from.

I stopped gathering when a 2 day old fawn was flushed from a nap. He had been nestled by 3 Kettle gourds. I'm so happy that others are enjoying the patch. I only wish I had the camera out to capture the spotted baby.

Guin AL Mural project

2008-08-20T12:26:00.000-07:00

Completed
I decided to sign my work with a brush that the brick took it's tole on.....
Interesting night shot....I was returning from Hamilton after a long day....

Bill Pope....Tony was hiding behind the wall....

There is Tony and Bill hard at work on the cap.

These are the before photos:

After day 1:

End of Day 2

End of day 2-whole bldg.

9-27-08 Sorry for now updating the news about the mural updates in awhile. I have been blessed with busy. I am happy to say the wall is complete. Pope Roofing worked a hard 3 days to complete the new cap on the wall. While they where busy replacing mortar and brick to the top of the wall, I was commissioned by Mr. Hollis to paint a mural at the front of his church.

Since I'm new to blogging.....I think it is easier for me and readers to have the updates first...so I have changes the order up some.

Many asked what happened. Upon meeting with Mayor Segraves it was decided to make a few changes and additions. The missing mortar in the third arch was distracting. The City workers patched the same day. Making sure the mortar cured I waited til 9-8 to do the revision.

I'm so pleased to have the 3rd arch repaired. The sky in this arch was darkened. I learned that morning brick works better for blending then 90 degree afternoon brick. Capstones or Keystones where added to the top of each arch and shadowed with shark-skin color.
Second (third in some spots) coats of Garlic Clove was painted on the Trim at 7' and at the base. This made the lines crisper and helped the shading. Shadow was added to these areas to give the impression of curved molding.

* Mayor Segraves mentioned getting ready for 2 more murals. One by the Support the troops flag(done in 91 during the Gulf War) The flag will remain and I'm sketching out designs to honor our Veterans that will be on the left of the flag.
**The Cap is scheduled for repair this week.(weather permitting) darn Ike....After the cap repair the canyon stone will be cut in to meet the new metal. I'm very excited to see the completion.

Before:

Approved sketch:

I've been commissioned by the City of Guin to paint a mural downtown. I am so excited about the project and the feed-back has been great. I started priming the wall on August 15th. I used a paint crew sprayer and this step when quicker than anticipated.
I selected canyon stone as the base coat. I matched this up with the brick in the existing fountain area.

This was the end of day 1 of painting.( 8-15-08) I have received 2 bids on getting the roof cap repaired. Pittsburg sun-proof paint is what I've been using and the coverage is wonderful.

This is a photo from the end of day 2. (8-18-08) Garlic clove semi-gloss is what was selected for the mouldings and framing the aches. I am very pleased how the sheen add to the depth of the design. The holes in the wall are at 12'. They are from the old rafters from the building that use to stand in front of this one. By incorporating them in the design it blends them in ( my opinion)
End of day 3- ( 8-19-08) Shading and sky added. The fore-ground of basil pesto is a base color to build the gardens in front of. I am anxious to add the detail. At the present time it resembles a golf course.(ha ha). I have found it troublesome blending colors on brick, especially on hot days. The paint grabs and doesn't blend well when hot. I work with arcylics allot and have gotten use to working fast. but I'm not use to working this fast.

The feed-back on the wall thus far has been wonderful. So many people are excited to see the improvements down town. (Kudo's to Mayor Segraves)

End of day 4-(8-21-08) Blocked in bronco brown for the walk-way thru the arches. Lime green shrubs were also blocked in. There are now 4 trees that will have more shading added. In case anyone was wondering of the white spot in the center... this is my vanishing point. I duct taped a string to use as a guide in the perspective. I will be using this to add the details in the walk-way.

Day 6-(8-25-08) started painting at 6:30 and was able to do some detailing before the rain ran me off. I cleaned up the trim that is at 7' and added shadowing to make it look like molding. The Terra cotta planters will have fir trees and the lime shrubs will have lilies, hostas and rose bushes in front of them. I'm thinking of also added some crape myrtles mingled around.

I painted the holes in the arches to help hide the fact they are holes today too. This is the first time I've painted during Tornado warnings....I really don't recommend it.

Day 7- (8-27) arrived early to wash the debris that splattered the bottom part. Today I added Hostas, an iron bench, and guidelines for the walk-way. I have discovered that the hotter the day the harder to blend. The brick heats up around 4:00 and new techniques have to be used to achieve the shading I desire.

This is a closer view showing the bench and the crape myrtle.

Day 8 & 9 (8-28 & 8-29) The city workers have done a wonderful job sprucing up downtown. While working on the wall I have noticed them blowing off the sidewalks, moving, and adding the flags and banners. They have really freshened up downtown for Labor Day. (Looks wonderful)

Day 8- Added another Fir tree to the planter in the foreground. Another bench, hostas and more Crape Myrtles where added. I also did a trial on the wood planks to see if additional colors where needed. I was happy the selections I made where fine.

Day 9- The board walk was added and really helped the perspective. Licorice(color) was used to establish the sides of the boards. Bronco Brown, Georgian leather, whiskers, and warm wassail were thinned and layered strokes to resemble wood grain. I had to keep in mind not to get to detailed on the smooth section so I could keep uniformity on the rough section. This has been true though out.

This photo shows the walk-way detail. I'm planning to add another Hosta, Lily's, and roses Saturday.
This is Saturday morning (8-30) before I get set up. I'm getting excited because I can see the finish line. I hope to get news on Tue. regarding the repair of the cap. I'm also pondering sealers.
End of Day 10 (8-30) I was able to complete the gardens today. Rose's, lily's, and a few more crape myrtles. I had many visitors today and all expressed how much they enjoy seeing the improvements to downtown. There was a live feed from a radio station at the outdoors store and the city was bustling. My Husbands Aunt and cousins visited and I couldn't resist taking a Labor Day week-end photo of them. Thanks Ruby for the peppers and jelly. (yum) They seemed to enjoy searching for names in the bricks and getting misted from the sprinklers. I made a new friend...She kept me company a few days on the wall. Very sweet dog. I wish I could have brought her home. The wall is almost complete. Once the cap is repaired I plan to cut in canyon stone to have the design complete. Once again I would like to thank everyone who supported me in this project. I look forward to many more.