Area artist adds mural to City Hall

Area artist adds mural to City Hall Brian Smith Tue, 07/23/2024 - 1:12 pm Graham artist Pecos McCool is shown by his recent mural in the city of Bryson on the south wall of City Hall on Depot Street. McCool said it’s his third mural and is similar to one he did in Graham last year. X Graham artist Pecos McCool has designed and painted a mural for the city of Bryson. The mural, which can be seen along the south wall of City Hall on Depot Street, is the third one McCool, a self-employed graphic designer, has completed. He said his _rst mural was for Fort Belknap in 2019. He did another one for the city of Graham in 2023 and “word caught on”, McCool said. The Graham mural, which had a vintage postcard feel in McCool’s mind, is similar to what he did in Bryson. “The Bryson mural has items within the letters of the city of things that would remind you of Bryson: like the cowboy, an oil derrick etc,” McCool said. To get the mural started, McCool built the image digitally using Photoshop, tracing the letters from the Graham mural to the Bryson one. Once the city gave its approval for the project, wanting to get more of Bryson colors blue and gold in the mural, he got started. He started painting in mid-June and _nished July 7. McCool used mostly spray paint for six hours a day. “I really built up my forearms doing that,” Mc-Cool said. “They began to hurt after a while each day which makes you lose your grip, so I really had to focus.” McCool has been an artist his whole life. His first creative endeavor involved designing the T-shirt design for Possum Kingdom Lake Days many years ago. He said the murals are fun and a great way to earn a little extra cash. McCool said the mural itself is done but said he still needs to sign it which he hopes to complete in the near future. Photo/Brian Smith