Most of the murals I have completed have been part of the unique history from a time or a place. Before any ideas are worked out on paper, I research my subject extensively, looking for images that are key to the development of a region and also tell the story. Sometimes the story is in legends or folktales at times contained within the dry, old pages of history books no longer in publication. Where ever they are, as an artist, I feel it is of the utmost importance that the images tell the true history of a place, focusing on the most important influences.

This mural was taken from the history of St. Joseph, Missouri. When Chief White Cloud went to the sacred spring to consult the ancestors and found the plantain wee, which the Indians called "white man's foot" because where ever they found it the white man was soon to follow. Taking this as a sign, Chief White Cloud decided to sell the land and move the tribe westward across the river, leaving the land to be settled as the foundations of early St. Joseph.

Chief White Cloud & The Legend Of The Sun Bridge

Commissioned by
St. Joseph Frontier Casino

oil on canvas

6' x 16'

first panel

1997