The wall-sized cardinals in brilliant red, set against a blue and green background, will be hard to miss.
When artist Leah Pinney was thinking about designs for the Johnson County Community Foundation’s Color the County mural project, she knew that her work had to stand out. The painting had to be bold, bright and easy to spot as drivers zoomed down State Road 37, and eventually, Interstate 69.
Pinney’s vision turned out to be striking, and organizers of Color the County agreed. Her design has been chosen to be this year’s community mural, which will be placed on an exterior wall at McCarty Mulch and Stone in White River Township.
“Since it’s a landscaping company, I wanted to do something with nature — doing the state bird and making it kind of abstract,” she said.
The public is invited to help bring the mural to life during community painting day on Aug. 14. Painting supplies and refreshments will be provided, and the paint-by-numbers style of the mural means that anyone can take part — even those doubting their own artistic talent.
With Pinney’s design stretching 120 feet, volunteers are going to be needed.
“The location we have chosen this year will be highly visible. It’s a very large mural. People will be traveling by that at a higher pace than just walking through town, and we needed a larger scale design. Hers worked perfectly for that location,” said Kim Kasting, vice president of development for the Johnson County Community Foundation. “It’ll be very identifiable as people drive by.”
For the past six years, Color the County has brought local artists and residents together to beautify public spaces. The Johnson County Community Foundation has organized the design and creation of 10 murals, with artwork in Franklin, Greenwood, Bargersville, Trafalgar, Edinburgh and Whiteland.
The program was created in 2016, as the community foundation looked to celebrate its 25th anniversary. The idea was to connect people through a collaborative process of making murals, and transforming public spaces and the identities of neighborhoods.
Instead of commissioning an artist to create the mural design, organizers accepted submissions from the community.
The mural designs have ranged from calming silhouettes of children and adults playing with bubbles to funky Ben Franklins and kites flying in the sky to calming symbols of friends. Despite their depictions, each has employed vibrant color to form undeniably noticeable wallscapes.
Pinney’s design continued that tradition.
“The artist has created a strong color palette with bold lines and fluid design. Her cardinals pop against the green and blue background allowing the design to be easily identifiable while traveling, and a design that will continue to engage upon additional viewings,” said Dave Windisch, mural design artistic lead and Color the County Mural Program committee member. “It will become a landmark for commuters and a memorable image for the community for years to come.”
Pinney, a Ball State University graduate, has been working in graphic design for the past four years. The Indianapolis artist was drawn toward it because she has always enjoyed art, and found using computer programs to make eye-catching pieces suited her creative interests.
The Color the County mural is not the first large-scale art piece she’s done.
“I was asked to do a mural in my hometown this past year. It was my very first mural, and it was a very big learning experience. I didn’t know how much work went into murals,” she said. “But I loved the whole process, so I’ve been doing some murals on the side.”
When Pinney saw a notice for the Johnson County Community Foundation’s mural program, she thought she’d try it.
Researching past winners of Color the County, she was struck by how some of the artists employed abstract approaches to their designs.
“I usually don’t do abstract work, so I thought I’d experiment using that with this contest,” she said.
To get ready for the upcoming community painting day, Pinney and others with the Johnson County Community Foundation will start preparing the wall at McCarty Mulch on Sunday. She has to trace the design on the surface to make it simple for a large group of people to fill in.
Pinney can’t wait to get going.
“I’m really excited to start it,” she said. “It’s a really cool idea to have everyone come in to help.”
