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Doug Shelton, Spirit of Perry |
In the Spring Valley Ballroom there is a mural titled “Spirit of Perry” by Doug Shelton, colorfully chronicling the history of the town. Shelton’s work is sometimes called surrealism; however Shelton himself describes it as “magical realism”.
On the left side, the oil painting recounts the construction of the railroad in the late Nineteenth Century—it was the railroad industry that first established Perry as a viable community. Artist Doug Shelton describes his work: “Beginning with the far left scene, we see an Ioway Indian sitting on a woven reed mat. He is seeking a vision, which appears in the sky. In the clouds is the shape of a train, symbolizing the changes that are about to come to his world and the vehicle that will implement them. He has painted himself with red earth, has a bear claw necklace and a wolf tail hanging from his hair roach. This late summer scene takes place at dusk, foreshadowing the end of his way of life. At the time of this scene (pre-European contact), wolves and bears, including the occasional grizzly lived in the central Iowa region.
“The vignette depicts the building of the railroad, and we see various immigrant groups represented. Next, toward the center of the mural, are reproductions of Perry Chief newspaper stories about the town—St. Patrick’s Church, the old fire station, the Jones Building, a marching band, and the high school newspaper, the Telital. We next see a coal powered locomotive, which opened up the Midwest to pioneers, and also see farmers on a buckboard wagon, as they wave at the passing locomotive.
Our eyes next focus on the tall corn stalks. In Shelton’s mural, corn pushes upward, promising a bountiful harvest, while Louis Armstrong performs a trumpet serenade beneath a full moon. Armstrong stayed at the Hotel Pattee years ago, when hotels in Des Moines were not yet integrated. Shelton also included the Ringling Brothers, Barnum and Bailey Circus in the vignette; circuses wintered near Perry in years past. We see the First National Bank Clock, which continues to be a land mark on the corner of Willis Avenue and Second Street, and we see the light fixtures that were a part of downtown Perry for many years. Shelton captured Celeste Council’s iconic corner popcorn stand, and finally to the far right of the mural, we see the Carnegie Library as it looked while it was operating, and the current Perry Public Library, storehouse of knowledge for all generations, framed in books.
Doug Shelton concludes, “I love painting large. The scale was very exciting and painting large is a physical activity; you’re standing on ladders, sitting on the floor, and moving around a lot. Painting techniques can be a bit looser and yet will still read well. It takes a lot of energy. Doing the research is always interesting. It is never too late to learn something new.”
On the left side, the oil painting recounts the construction of the railroad in the late Nineteenth Century—it was the railroad industry that first established Perry as a viable community. Artist Doug Shelton describes his work: “Beginning with the far left scene, we see an Ioway Indian sitting on a woven reed mat. He is seeking a vision, which appears in the sky. In the clouds is the shape of a train, symbolizing the changes that are about to come to his world and the vehicle that will implement them. He has painted himself with red earth, has a bear claw necklace and a wolf tail hanging from his hair roach. This late summer scene takes place at dusk, foreshadowing the end of his way of life. At the time of this scene (pre-European contact), wolves and bears, including the occasional grizzly lived in the central Iowa region.
“The vignette depicts the building of the railroad, and we see various immigrant groups represented. Next, toward the center of the mural, are reproductions of Perry Chief newspaper stories about the town—St. Patrick’s Church, the old fire station, the Jones Building, a marching band, and the high school newspaper, the Telital. We next see a coal powered locomotive, which opened up the Midwest to pioneers, and also see farmers on a buckboard wagon, as they wave at the passing locomotive.
Our eyes next focus on the tall corn stalks. In Shelton’s mural, corn pushes upward, promising a bountiful harvest, while Louis Armstrong performs a trumpet serenade beneath a full moon. Armstrong stayed at the Hotel Pattee years ago, when hotels in Des Moines were not yet integrated. Shelton also included the Ringling Brothers, Barnum and Bailey Circus in the vignette; circuses wintered near Perry in years past. We see the First National Bank Clock, which continues to be a land mark on the corner of Willis Avenue and Second Street, and we see the light fixtures that were a part of downtown Perry for many years. Shelton captured Celeste Council’s iconic corner popcorn stand, and finally to the far right of the mural, we see the Carnegie Library as it looked while it was operating, and the current Perry Public Library, storehouse of knowledge for all generations, framed in books.
Doug Shelton concludes, “I love painting large. The scale was very exciting and painting large is a physical activity; you’re standing on ladders, sitting on the floor, and moving around a lot. Painting techniques can be a bit looser and yet will still read well. It takes a lot of energy. Doing the research is always interesting. It is never too late to learn something new.”