Walking around downtown Columbia, there are many quirky stores and interesting art pieces, giving the community a welcoming and open environment.
One such piece is the mural “Blown Away” which is painted by Mizzou graduate artist Paul Jackson. Jackson attributes the work to both his family and his “crew”. His crew where who he referred is family and friends that worked on the piece. The piece is located on the western wall of the sporting goods store, the Alpine Shop.
When I first saw this piece I was, like the title of the work, blown away by the colors and how it made the whole street feel so much brighter and joyful. This mural is beautiful. The piece takes up almost the whole wall, measuring 16- by-68 feet, and is full of wonderful and bright colors.
Fitting with the theme of the store it’s painted on, the mural consists of an outdoor environment with canoers, a series of blue herons (a local fish-eating bird), the Big Tree (a local Burr Oak tree that is located near Eagle Bluffs and is the largest in the state) and blowing dandelions. When you get close to the art, you can see all the brush strokes and effort that the artist put into the work. Incorporating bright yellows, oranges, reds and deep purples, teals and blues into the art, “Blown Away” provides a beautiful sunset and scenery for viewers. The piece has become so popular within the community that it has been the background for many family, engagement and even wedding photos.
Even on Paul Jackson’s blog, commenters showering it with praise, and I can understand why!
This mural just screams the beauty of the region, bringing together the warm colors with the cold ones and creating a rendition of the town we call home. It en-captures the environment and nature that Columbia is surrounded by, and you can tell that the artist put a great deal of thought and care into the piece. In downtown Columbia, it’s common for mural art pieces to be vandalized, whether tagged or covered in graffiti This is one piece of art that I think will never get vandalized in such a way because the people of Columbia take great pride in it and the meaning behind it.