Raine Clotfelter, “America’s Mural Artist,†is putting the finishing touches on a mural on the west side of the West Jefferson Dental building at 41 E. Main St. on October 8th. He created a second mural on the east side of the building located at 97 E. Main St .; the building is owned by Dr Corey Amann and is occupied by Madison Health and Subway.
(Posted on October 14, 2021)
By Kristy Zurbrick, Editor-in-Chief of Madison
It took a few years, but the vision of a handful of West Jeffersonians comes to life on the sides of two downtown buildings.
On October 8, Raine Clotfelter, a muralist from Missouri, put the finishing touches on a mural honoring the village of West Jefferson. The painting can be seen on the west side of the West Jefferson Dental building located at 41 E. Main St.
“The original concept was ‘Past, Present, Future’ and I think we’ve captured it,†said Howard Wade, chairman of the West Jefferson Mural Committee, a group of five citizens that also includes Patty Blake, Brenda Blanton, Mike Conway and Robert Pearce.
Inspired by the public murals they saw in other cities on their travels, Wade and his wife, Linda, began thinking in 2018 about how to bring murals to West Jefferson. Shortly after, the committee was formed. The group worked on the concept and fundraising, selling military honor banners and garden flags. It wasn’t that long ago that they got the financial support they needed to finally put the project into action.
Russ Miller, a developer who owns the Sky Ranch property just east of West Jefferson, worked with his suppliers to secure the funding needed to hire Clotfelter to paint two murals for the committee. As for how a Missouri artist ended up with commissions in West Jefferson, Ohio, Miller’s sister is the one who got the ball rolling. She had seen Clotfelter’s manual labor on a silo in Monett, Ill., And suggested that Miller do the same with the silo on his farm. He did, and now that silo, visible along American Highway 40, sports a wrap-around painting of an eagle and an American flag.
After a hiatus from the silo project, Clotfelter, who describes himself as “America’s muralist,†returned to West Jefferson to begin work on the building’s murals on September 24. The mural at 41 E. Main St. features representations of the Covered Bridge. on Taylor Blair Road, the West Jefferson Community Association’s Ox Roast logo, the historic national highway emblem in honor of US Highway 40, the local Jefferson schools roughrider logo, a mile marker historic stone building and village hall as it was decades ago.
After completing the first mural, Clotfelter immediately began work on the second mural that rises from the east side of the building at 97 E. Main St. The building is owned by Dr. Corey Amann and is occupied by Subway and Madison Health.
The second mural will feature a patriotic theme. Clotfelter invited students from West Jefferson High School to learn more about wall art and help paint some of the mural. This collaboration should take place early next week, weather permitting.
Work on the second fresco is expected to be completed by the end of the month. The mural committee plans to hold a groundbreaking ceremony in which donors and supporters will be recognized. Details will be announced soon.
Wade said he was excited to see the project come to fruition.
“It was close and dear to my heart. Now it has come of age. We have people who come and like it, â€he said.
The committee accepts additional donations for the installation of lighting and recognition plaques on the two murals. Checks can be made payable to the West Jefferson Mural Committee and mailed to PO Box 175, West Jefferson, OH 43162. The committee is a not-for-profit organization and a member of the Madison County Community Improvement Corporation.
