Rising Sun Library Mural

“Rising Sun Library Mural”

I have to send a huge thanks to Amy King for making this mural project possible, as well as Amanda for making all the lunchtime subs with love during this project.

This project is in partnership with the Ohio County Public Library . Amy, the Director of the library reached out with the interest for a design and mural to inspire and excite the patrons of the public library in Rising Sun.

With this wall located inside of the library, I wanted to represent the magic, imagination, and excitement that takes place when one opens and begins to read a new book. When you open a new book, you have to use your imagination to visualize the story, and this imagination is limited only by the possibilities and creativity of your mind.

The composition reflects this creativity by showing a reader with a book open. There is an energetic expansion of elements coming off of the page and shooting outwards in every direction. All the elements coming out of the book were specifically chosen to help tie the mural to Rising Sun.

The Peony flower is Indiana’s state flower, the Tulip poplar is the state tree, the firefly is the state bug, and the cardinal is the state bird. I also included a blue and channel catfish which can be found in the near by Ohio river. There is a bald eagle, which not only represents the patriotism of the area, but references an actual population of bald eagles in the area. I included corn stalks to pay homage to the surrounding farmlands. One of the flower bulbs is actually a basketball, tipping the hat to a huge hoosier fan on the library board. Behind the figure reading is a view of the Kentucky hills, and coming up the river on the right is a boat with the name “Hoosier Boy'“. The hoosier boy was a speed boat built in Rising Sun in 1924, which raced from Cincinnati to Louisville and back in 267 minutes. A record that still holds today.

-Located inside the Ohio County Public Library, 503 2nd St., Rising Sun, Indiana, 47040

-Acrylic on drywall

-21’ x 15.5’

-2023