Lincoln Highway mural number 28 - Franklin Grove, IL

[Jay Allen]

Time for a new slideshow since PhotoBucket's new site's slideshow feature isn't working yet...

Click the sound button in the upper left of the image and you'll get a nice musical accompinament!!

Number 28 will be installed in Franklin Grove, IL

Here's the story of the Cloisonné pin, the two gentlemen and the building as told on the mural:

Henry C. Ostermann, the first Lincoln Highway Association Field Secretary, was an avid promoter of the new Lincoln Highway. He was a veteran of 121 transcontinental highway trips, meeting with Association Consuls in each state and the most notable, as a guide for the 1919 military convoy with Lieutenant Colonel Dwight Eisenhower. Ostermann is credited with launching the grassroots fundraising for the Lincoln Highway. One such event took place on February 14, 1914, when Ostermann sold the very first Lincoln Highway pins to a gathering at the Lincoln Highway Booster Days in Franklin Grove’s historic H.I. Lincoln Building.

53 hours to paint the entire pictorial (and clean brushes) . . . Basically, this is a 9' x 18' mural.

As always, mural panel engineering and border work by the stellar Joe Marshall . . . my design and paint.

http://www.photosnack.com/my-slideshows ... ?jsalbum=1

We've almost complted Crest Hill #2 (#29) and Chicago Heights (#30). Bill Hueg returned to assist - and in the case of Chicago Heights, led the project. We end like we started . . . with the 3 of us making it happen. I love my job . . .

All that is remaining is Sterling, IL and Rochelle, IL . . . Done for good as of April 18th . . . 4 years gone. Wow . . .

[megan child]

What a great way to tell the history of a Highway, great design and craftmanship on display too.

[Jay Allen]

Thank you, Megan . . . It's been quite a journey these last 4 years . . .

[Mark Summers]

Been an amazing adventure. I'm sure that pushed you in some directions you
never thought possible. Any future possibilities from this project?
Could you see yourself doing something like this again?

Mark

[Jay Allen]

As with anyone put in a situation like that - with a legacy project - giving your all means you still have things to learn, Mark. So I learned a lot of new things as I went along . . . no question about it. Bill Hueg was integral in that added knowledge . . . Equally important was working with public dollars and the intricacies of payments, etc.

We had developed a working 'template' of how to go about doing this project with the pilot project in 2006, 2007 and 2008. Once we started on the 32 that will be completed in this stretch was made the most efficient within the first few murals. The concept has worked for almost 20 years - paneled murals, that is - so we just needed to maximize the efficiencies on the router with screw placements, use the protective mask that was pre-applied to the Dibond panels as part of our paint mask, etc . . .

It's now a model of efficiency . . . from start to finish. What used to take 40 hours of border work was cut almost in half . . . pictorials stayed about the same (though I am a FAR site slower than Hueg) . . . we streamlined the installations on site by screwing in all the screws for the project prior to painting it here - then organized them on cards in order of their placement on the panel. That cut our installation times down to 45 minutes to an hour at the most . . . no touchups of screw heads . . .

And on and on . . .

Any residual work from it? Not one thing . . . Not yet. In time? We'll see. I have a pretty hefty mural portfolio now . . . in case we need it, Mark . . . Just in case. :^)


But it will be great information to present at my Public Art speaking engagements . . . so there is 'yield' . . .!!

Thanks for all your kind comments regarding them, Mark . . . Wait until you see the next two finished. Coming soon . . .!!

[Mark Summers]

Congratulation to yourself, Joe Marshall and Bill Hueg on your 1st. Place
Signs of the Times/ Murals, Exhibit Graphics. Well Deserved!

Mark

[Mark Summers]

Here is a pic. Didn't get the last one to go through for those that don't get
Signs of the Times.

[Jay Allen]

Well, thank you, Mark!! You've been supportive for the duration of the project, that's for sure!!

Almost done . . . 2 to paint - 2 to install - 1 went up today. Four long years . . . but seemed worth it when working with such talented friends/employees.

Blessed, one could say . . .!!

[erik winkler]

Nice article.
Have not seen it indeed.