With approval from Placer County Facilities Management and the City of Colfax, members of the Colfax VFW and American Legion Post 192 came together to paint a 7-part mural on the retaining wall behind the Placer-owned Veterans Memorial Hall, 22 Sunset Circle, Colfax. The mural pays tribute to our men and women of service and the six branches of the U.S. Military.
Foxey McCleary
A longtime Colfax artist and a military veteran, Foxey is credited as the lead artist for the wall mural, and a driving force behind the vision and drive to complete the project. "As a veteran and an artist, this mural showing the services of the U.S. Military is the best way I could honor other veterans."
Glenn Ridge
"It was an honor to participate in the painting of the VFW mural to commemorate the amazing men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces."
Jamie Edson
Married to a Navy veteran, Jamie said she was honored to contribute to the Navy branch for the mural. Her largest contribution was in painting the large tree - considered to be one of the most difficult pieces to recreate from the original photo.
Judy Cochran
Judy said she was honored to participate in the mural project and honor the mean and women who serve. She also noted she learned a lot about the military from other artists and local veterans throughout the process.
Cathy Kiefer
"Since my medium is water color, and I paint small pieces with small brushes, the mural was my first ever big project and a challenge. House paint and big brushes became my summer."
Katharine Tetrault
A student, Katharine painted the "Night Watch" scene of the mural. This was her first time contributing to a large mural.
Tetrault said the group didn't want to paint war scenes, and originally thought about painting "shadow art" similar to what is seen in other Colfax murals. That idea evolved into recreating iconic photographs in black and white. The only color on the mural is the red white and blue of the American Flag and the watchman's light, which represents a moment of calm and peace during a time of war.
The artists say the mural was a challenge - using acrylic paint over the hot summer. They had to paint at night, otherwise the paint would dry almost immediately. Using lights on a blank wall also makes it difficult to judge shading and detail, as the artists often saw their own reflection in the wall.