The City of Belton is actively growing its public art scene with a new mural by artist Russell Cushman.
The Texas Heritage mural is being painted on the Crow and Cactus Co. and Highlands Lounge building located at 122B N. Penelope St. on the E. First Avenue side of the building.
Cushman was seen painting with the help of Mayor David Leigh over the prior weekend.
The city supports the public art scene through grants, encouraging local artists to add color and tell stories about Texas heritage and community pride on various buildings and public spaces.
The Texas Heritage mural grant funding proposal was approved by the City Council on July 22. Murals have grown in popularity as a marketing tool.
“I got some good ole Belton red for you. We are going to put shadows to add dimension to it,” said Leigh. He painted the red letters in the word Belton. The weather was perfect for them to paint. They are trying to get it done while the weather is nice.
“I’ve painted all my life. I started painting when I was eleven years old. The mural is an original design. It’s hill country meets the Chisholm Trail,” said Cushman.
Cushman lived in Navasota for 27 years and spent more than 30 years as a freelance artist, book illustrator, and wildlife and history muralist.
“This building was a county building. It was a Christian bookstore. It was a Thomas Kincaid Gallery back in the 90s when the county bought it. It’s a perfect place in Belton to have a mural because it’s like a blank canvas. Everything else has a crossroad or something,” said Leigh. “I’m coloring within the lines like my mom taught me.”
They are using an outdoor latex paint with polymer to paint the mural.
Other murals in the city include the Cochran, Blair, and Potts building located at the corner of Penelope and E. Central Avenue by Dallas muralist Michael Mcpheeters that showcases the town of Belton.
There is one on the Belton Journal office building at the corner of N. Penelope St. and Second Avenue, by David Moreno, with a roaring tiger surrounded by bluebonnets and the phrase “Tiger Country” in red above the tiger with “The Belton Journal” in blue below.
Another mural is located on the east wall of the Belton Dam, along F.M. 2271, and is a pictorial history of Bell County including scenes of Fort Hood, historical homes, hospitals, the Chisholm Trail, covered wagons, and Belton Lake.
There is another mural at the Lena Armstrong Library, located at 301 E. First Avenue at the N. Penelope St. side of the building. Painted by Laced+Found, it is a mural of a girl reading a book with a blue background with a robot, a dinosaur, and the moon.
