Kallie Cooper, Executive Director, Wellington Colorado Main Street
Frederick R. Barnard once wrote, “A picture is worth a thousand words,” and never has that phrase been truer than with this photo in front of the latest mural in downtown Wellington, “Greetings from Wellington.”
The mural project, which began last year, started as an idea by artist Joshua Griffin to honor Wellington’s community by creating a “postcard mural,” similar to ones found in Tampa, FL, and other cities around the country. The Wellington Colorado Main Streets Program partnered with Joshua and his team, David Hanson and Alex Sunders, at Dynamic Image in Wellington to bring the community together on the project.
“We have a great community and really wanted to represent that in our postcard mural. We even thought it would be fun to ask the community for their thoughts on what best represents Wellington. We had great response and many encouraging comments throughout the process. In the midst of a pandemic it’s nice to remember what our community is really all about and that we have a history of pulling through things together,” said Joshua of the mural.
The team asked the community what Wellington means to them and how could they express this in a picture. The mural’s images represent Wellington Parks and Recreation, Fourth of July celebration, agricultural history, and the unique downtown streetscape.
Located on the South wall of The Filling Station along Cleveland Ave, the 10′ x 28′ mural is oil-based and fully hand-painted. Dynamic Image has done many red brick murals including all the red brick signs at Coors Field. One Shot lettering enamels are famous for most of what they now call “ghost sign murals.” The Wellington mural is painted entirely with these enamels because of their exterior life and vibrant colors. They also added a clear UV urethane coating for greater protection against the elements.
As our country navigates through unprecedented times, this mural brings life, color, and joy to the community and is the perfect way to say, “Greetings from Wellington.”