Cove art teachers and students help to create city’s first building mural

By WENDY SLEDD

Special to Leader-Press

For S. C. Lee art teacher, Sheri Wilson, art is her life. Wilson teaches art to students every day and now she has taken her talent to the streets. Literally.

Wilson is the co-chairman of the mural committee under the Five Hills Art Guild which is painting Copperas Cove’s first building mural at the corner of First Street and Ave. D. Last week, Wilson and other members of the committee began priming the side of the Donlie McMullin building facing Ave. D. The mural will depict a western theme of Cove’s history and is broken up over five sections across the wall. The first section contains the historic Cove train depot followed horses, cattle and Fort Hood’s first Cavalry mounted unit.

“It’s coming along better than we thought it would but that is due mainly to good planning,” Wilson said. “By gathering photos, we did not have to come up with our own concept.”

CCISD opened up its large conference room to the guild which used the equipment to project the photos on the wall where they were traced onto thin paper that would later be used to trace the same objects onto the building’s wall. 

Copperas Cove High School Art Teacher Jeanne Lizama, Copperas Cove Junior High Teacher Ashley Baty and Williams/Ledger Elementary teacher Edith Natividad were also painting on the project on Saturday along with several students.

“I am very happy to be part of the first mural here in our very own hometown,” Natividad said.

With so many CCISD personnel involved in the project, Wilson said it was best to wait to begin the project until summer break.

“The end of the year gets so crazy at school,” Wilson said. “We really had to wait.”

Several students came out to assist with the project on Saturday when the painting project came open to the public to volunteer. Donlie McMullin paid for the supplies which were provided on site and Active Construction provided the scaffolding and storage. The guild needs community volunteers the next two Saturdays on June 20 and June 27 to assist with the project.

“We want Copperas Cove to bloom,” Wilson said. “It is important to the art guild and we want to do many more to beautify the city.”

The Five Hills Art Guild said they are planning future murals for the remainder of the year and may do some on sign boards.

“People may never get out of their cars when they drive through,” Wilson said. “But, if they see these, they might say, ‘Hey, Cove is a cool place.”