By Jennifer Theurer
Local artist Tracy Lebo recently finished a 5-foot-by-31-foot mural spanning two walls in the elementary wing of the Wakefield School building. The Wakefield PTO asked her to incorporate the elementary’s flyer logo, she added educational items that are important to kids from kindergarten to 5th grade, and after visiting with teachers her design was approved by school administration.
She started the mural around Thanksgiving, painting during the holiday break and on weekends, and finished right before Christmas. When Lebo painted on school days during the week, she would start as the students were finishing.
“I did get the opportunity to visit as they were exiting the school,” she said. “And then their after-school program would swing by every now and then.”
She appreciated the students’ feedback and their input.
“It was just really sweet. They would have so many compliments, and they would give me so many suggestions of ideas that they thought that I needed to include in the mural,” Lebo said. “And I tried to do that.””
A Wakefield resident since 1972 and graduate of Wakefield High School, Lebo is happy to user her talents to add to the beauty of Clay County. Her work includes a mural at the Elks Lodge and a painting depicting what Wakefield looked like before settlers arrived at the Wakefield Museum.
“I have a couple of murals on Avery Auto Parts that include the classics mural, has some antique cars on it and an antique motorcycle,” she said. “We brought a lot of murals to town. I’m pretty proud of that.”
Lebo also designed the tiger paw logo for Clay Center Community High School and the bomber logo for Wakefield High School. She’s been involved with several projects at Kansas State University as well.
“I’ve done several paintings for [K-State] for their Ahearn Fund, their scholarship fund for the students, and I’ve done several of the Harley Day paintings,” she said.
When K-State celebrated its 150th Anniversary, the sesquicentiennial, Lebo was asked to paint sculptures created by the Bergens, artists who created the Ad Astra sculpture that stands at the top of the Kansas State Capitol building.
“It was really fun and I was really proud of it,” she said.
