Mural Artist Capture Our Community's Soul By Doug Geddes special to the Merritt News   The beauty in the large murals around town lies not in the colours or the arrangement, but in the actual production of these works of art, according to the person most responsible for them. Michelle Loughery, a mural artist from Vernon, is convinced that the beauty of the town dwells more in the people than in the buildings. “The people are so nice here. I’m sure that Merritt has what it takes to attract people downtown,” she said. Loughery claims that this mural is different than all the ones that she has done in the past. It is of a big country music star, instead of a historical tableau like the ones she has done in Vernon, Chemainus, and Sparwood. It also differs because she is doing it all herself, and not teaching local kids the finer art of mural painting. “This painting could be the best one I have ever done, but it is the children that bring the magic to the work,” said Loughery. “The happiness that shows in their faces while they get to work on a civic project like this demonstrates the self-esteem created by group effort. It gives them confidence. It gives them a sense of self-worth. The finished product is something that they can brag about to their friends or family for years to come.” She knows this first hand, as Loughery has accepted contracts from the provincial government to help get high-risk youth off of the street and into something with more promise. The teaching of mural painting has turned many kids into novice historical investigators as they try to piece together the meaning of the painting. “The historical significance of some of the mural works carry more intellectual weight than seeing someone actually doing a masterpiece painting. The people can learn more about our heritage through these dioramas than they do in history class.” The passers-by that come to look at her work are often more interested in how Loughery got her start than what she is planning next. “I started because I wanted to do something that will help our future. The children are our future. I worked in Vernon for quite a long time before I got my foot in the door and started making headway. Since then I’ve been down to the past two annual Global Mural Conferences, this year was in Ely, Nevada, and last year was in Lindsey, California. I also travelled to Preston Grange in Scotland to see the mural works done there regarding their coal-mining past. It was fantastic! It is this sort of interest generated that virtually guarantees an increase in down town traffic.” When asked what brought her to Merritt, she is more concrete in her answer. “Rick Passmore, the PR representative for the Walk of Stars, contacted me to investigate the viability of doing a mural project here in downtown,” she said. “Right from the beginning it seemed like a good idea. Once the ball started rolling, we just got caught up in the momentum and started planning it out.” As the plan continued to get larger, Loughery got more and more excited about it. “This is what Merritt wants as its identity; to be the Country Music Capital of Canada, and this is one way to achieve that recognition."