The Five Hills Art Guild unveiled their latest mural, "Earlier Times of Copperas Cove", on Saturday, March 10, 2018 and Star Group Veterans Helping Veterans President Jonathan Haywood was presented on the wall.
Looking at the Five Hills Art Guild’s latest mural is like taking a step back in time. The panoramic mural, located on the side of the Ledger Furniture Store, is painted to resemble an old photograph and features several historical figures and modern-day faces important to Cove’s history. It was painted in sepia to give you the feeling of going back in time and many elements are made to appear as though they were stepping through the painting to give the viewer a feeling of being a part of the scene. "This is a rendition of what was yesterday through the eyes of those today. This is living history. You cannot beat living history," said Mayor Frank Seffrood about the mural. "These artists who we have are second to none...That is art. Art is a rendition of what was, what we appreciate, and what we would like the future to remember." The painting features buildings from the early 1900s, such as the old cotton gin and Cove’s first bank (which is now the Ledger Furniture Store and one of the oldest buildings in Cove). Some historic Covites featured are Miss Jewell Yarborough, C. R. Clements, Mae Stevens, and Laura Barker (a female lawyer from the late 1800s). They also included modern Covites that have made an impact including Charlene and Nelson "Smitty" Schmidt, Jonathan Haywood, and Edna Teinert (the oldest living Covite). Next to the mural, the artists included a key identifying everyone included in the painting and a map showing a layout of what Copperas Cove looked like in the early 1900s.
The project began in mid-October 2017. The idea for the work came from an old photo taken of the Ledger Furniture Store building as a crowd of people watched a cow in the street. Catherine Blashack, Project Manager and member of the art guild, began collecting old photos of people and buildings from the area in the 1900s. "It’s important to me to get it right," said Blashack who did a lot of research to make sure everything was as close to reality as possible. "This town was really advanced in a lot of ways." The stated mission of the art guild is to foster and establish an art culture in our community and its surrounding areas. Ms Blashack is also a lifetime Star Group Veterans Helping Veterans member.
Thank you to all the SGVHV Team and Friends who attended the unveiling.