By Bethaney Phillips

The latest mural in Clay Center, Prairie Thunder, has seen progress in recent days. Sitting at the 400 block of Grant Ave., Husband/wife duo, Christian and Jessica Stanley of CStanley Creative have more than a week of work put into the location. That has included prep work, such as power washing, and using a doodle grid to place out key features of the mural. 

This consists of placing non-repetitive marks on the surface that allows Christian to superimpose digital artwork on his phone, which can then be transferred by hand onto the entire mural surface. 

He said he works in a hybrid of doodle grid and dot grid, which requires less work on his part, and fewer movements of the lift. 

“Think of it like a giant paint-by-numbers,” he said. Adding that he fills in darker colors first, then adds the light. 

Jessica further explained, “Something that he does differently than a lot of other artists, rather than adding things he will have to cover up later, he jumps right to the chase and does like a hypothesis,” she said. 

For the current mural, featuring Kansas bison and a thunderhead, that meant outlining animals, clouds, land, and more. 

The pair have had to take regular breaks due to wind, rain, and other weather. However, Christian said they planned extra days, due to spring Kansas conditions. 

“We’re planning for rough weather, we added days to the project,” he said. “We’re not even halfway through but technically ahead of schedule. But I don’t like saying that out loud,” he joked. 

“Delays and weather are just part of the experience,” Jessica added. Though they did say this is the first time they have had to pause production due to wind alone. 

While Christian does most of the painting, Jessica said she talks daily with visitors, and said they have a variety of traffic. From cars who drive by slowly, to those who come up and talk, and people who stop for daily pictures. 

“We like connecting with people and the communities we’re in,” she said. “We believe in the power of community coming out in support of the program, and here we are seeing that in action; that’s fantastic.” 

MURAL LIFESPAN, PUBLIC TAKE

The pair said murals are a statement of the time, adding something new to existing structures. 

“Our take on murals is that they’re kind of a generational thing,” Christian said. “It’s the voice for the community at any given point.” 

While Jessica said, “If it gets to the point where they don’t notice it because they’ve seen it so many times, it’s time to give another artist a chance to do something new.” 

With high-quality paints and materials, plus a UV protectant, the Stanleys estimate murals’ lifespan between 15 and 25 years. However the main factor is sun exposure and underlying surface, adding that brick or masonry often fails before paint begins to fade or chip. 

“And that leaves room for a new generation – someone in middle school now, or even younger, could be the next artist.”

“We keep hearing about people stopping by to see the murals and that they get people to stop in town,” Christian said. “It’s a new reason to stop by and we’re excited about it. That was the ultimate goal of the program.” 

Follow mural progress on Instagram: @cstanleycreative

SUPPORT A MURAL MOVEMENT

Mural items are for sale at Grow Clay County, and all profits go to supporting additional county-wide projects and preservation of the existing murals, said A Mural Movement committee member, Brett Hubka. 

Items like shirts, mugs, glasses, stickers, and more are for sale at the downtown office.