With a paint brush in hand muralist Jim Stukey takes a step back from his work on the south wall of Sophisticated Rose’s building Tuesday. A motorist honks and waves at the artist and he returns the gesture.
Stukey has been drawing and painting all of his life and has been a muralist for about 20 years now. He is well known for his mural work across Coffey County.
Tuesday, Stukey was “sprucing up” spots on the downtown merchant’s building. He has painted small and large projects in the past.
There are multiple blank canvases around Iola that can tell a story.
Ron Moore, owner of Iola Office Supply, has one of those canvases. Moore said he has been approached about putting a mural on his south wall in the past.
“Years ago I was approached about putting a historical mural on my wall,” Moore said. “I’m OK with the idea as long as it can be funded.”
The wall is north of the Funston home in the Allen County Historical Society’s complex on the west side of the square.
The idea for the mural fell through the cracks years ago, Moore said, partly because of the insistence the building’s rough exterior be made smooth at Moore’s expense.
Stukey, however, said the convoluted exterior is perfect for a mural.
Stukey said he has done murals that have been funded multiple ways.
“I have done murals through private funders and through a county’s contributions,” he said.
Elyssa Jackson, the historical society’s director, said she hasn’t been contacted by anyone about a mural near the Funston home but could see the Society approving the idea.
“I could see the possibility of it happening,” Jackson said. “We would be more than happy to entertain the idea if it was a reasonable idea and had a sound budget.”
The type of paint used for a mural depends on its canvas, Stukey said. Metal and steel buildings, for example, use a different kind of paint than a brick or stone facing.
A painter doesn’t necessarily have to construct a potential mural. Organizations like the Girl Scouts, 4-H or high school and college students looking for a community service project could propose and execute a mural idea.
Iola has many opportunities to display its history through art. The first step is to simply put an idea out there.
Murals bring character to community
