Heart of Missoula Murals

The Heart of Missoula murals is a unique public/private collaboration between the Missoula Public Art Committee, the Missoula redevelopment Agency and Rick Bice of Allegra Print and Imaging. The seven murals are located at the corner of Higgins and Broadway in downtown Missoula, MT. The images represent historic depictions of Missoula's vibrant downtown, beloved landmarks, the University of Montana, founding businesses and Missoula's railroading and newspaper heritage. All of the murals are painted as the buildings, streets and people existed in the early 1900's. They vary in size from 12'X2' to 12'X24'. The artwork is painted on powder-coated aluminum, mounted on steel frames, and finished with eight layers of UV resistant clear-coat to endure all natural elements and protect the paintings from vandalism. Many hours of research went into this project to authenticate the history behind each illustration.

  

These are the first two panels I started working on. They are the largest of the seven murals. In these photos, I am drawing in details and shading the painting.

This is an example of the painting process. First I shade everything, and then I tint the shaded painting with many thin layers of color. I specifically designed this technique for this project so I could achieve an older look, somewhat like an old tinted photograph.

    

The day we installed the first two panels was very exciting. You can see the crane had to lift the panels up and over existing telephone wires. The panels were dangling by two little hooks welded to the top of the frames. Thankfully everything went smoothly!

  

These are some detail shots of the wall after the panels were installed.

The seven murals illustrate seven historical aspects of Missoula, MT, and are as follows, Click for larger image:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Missoula Downtown History, Size: 12'X24'

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Missoula Railroad History, Size: 7'X19'

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The University of Montana History, Size: 12'X16'

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Old Clock on Higgins, Size: 12'X2'

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Star Garage, Size: 7'X7'

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Missoula Newspaper Heritage, Size: 12'X4'

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Garden City Brewery, Size: 7'X8'

Please Visit the Print section of this website to order prints of the Heart of Missoula Murals.
A portion of the proceeds goes toward a maintenance fund for the murals.