‘The Spirit of Niwot’ Mural

This public art commission was completed in 2011 in Niwot, Colorado. At 138′ long and peaking at 25′ high, this is the largest hand-painted mural in Colorado. It was commissioned by the Niwot Cultural Arts Association as a banner and invitation to the larger Boulder County community to come join the arts and events that make Niwot such a delightful and vibrant little town.

The mural took 9 months to complete, and on many summer days the soaring temperatures made hand-painting a corrugated metal wall very challenging. I would arrive at 4:30 am, in the damp coolness of the morning, using a headlamp and spot lights, and wrap it up for the day by noon when the searing heat of the direct sun would cook the paint as the brush touched the metal wall. The mural is right next to the train tracks, and trains would fly by, blowing their whistles, several times a day.

There are many little secret treasures in the design, including a left-handed prairie dog, a rubber ducky, a golden nugget, an image of a local resident’s tattoo of his grandfather’s blacksmith forge, 3 Niwot musicians who continue to play and perform in town, a birthday wish, Adam’s guitar, and flowers, hand-painted by members of the community who donated to fund the art project.