— This Fourth of July, Spicer’s attractions will grow with stars, stripes and feathers. Drivers south of the city will be able to spot an anniversary mural as it goes up, overlooking Minnesota Highway 23.
The new landmark, a mural of a bald eagle and American flag, will be finished just in time for Independence Day. The mural sits just a few doors down from Kandiyohi Power Cooperative.
Property owners Doreen and Steve Nelson commissioned visual artist Steve DeLaitsch to paint the piece in honor of the 250th anniversary of the United States of America.
“I think it is a great piece for being in Spicer. The Fourth of July celebration is a huge thing in Spicer. You know? How many people come to Spicer during the weekend,” Doreen Nelson said.
According to Steve Nelson, between 8,000 and 12,000 vehicles pass by on Highway 23 every single day, with many cars transporting more than one passenger. The nearby traffic means a lot of eyes on the mural, so the Nelsons wanted it to stand out.
The Nelsons and DeLaitsch started discussing the mural in May of this year. At the time, the Nelsons were looking for just an American flag, a more permanent version of the one they would project on the building every Fourth of July.
Doreen and Steve Nelson on Thursday, June 25, stand in front of the mural they commissioned to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States. The Nelsons bought the property near Spicer around eight years ago and wanted to give the community another attraction.
Levi Jones / West Central Tribune
The Nelsons purchased the property eight years ago, soon after they purchased a home in Spicer and officially moved to the neighborhood. The building is primarily used as storage and a guesthouse.
DeLaitsch proposed a new design featuring a bald eagle flying in front of the waving flag. With the Nelsons’ approval, he went to work.
“I thought this would be a really interesting and fun thing to do. I used big, bold graphics. I generally don’t paint graphic pieces like this. It is a different challenge and it makes a statement,” DeLaitsch said.
The mural is being painted on a 10-foot-tall by 50-foot-wide wall which rises an additional 16 feet in the middle. The wall is made from corrugated metal. The corrugation means that as DeLaitsch paints it, he has to adjust to the three dimensions.
“The difficulty of painting on corrugated, all of the movement in the metal. … Lines I would normally do in one stroke, I might need six strokes to get it on. And there are all these little skips in the corners,” DeLaitsch said.
Before painting a mural on a building in Spicer, artist Steve DeLaitsch painted the design on canvas. Property owners Doreen and Steve Nelson held onto the the design, pictured Thursday, June 25, to see what the final piece would look like.
Levi Jones / West Central Tribune
DeLaitsch has more than 50 years of experience as an artist,
having attended art school in Chicago at 19. Since then, he has painted fine art and murals across Minnesota and beyond.
“Muraling is another aspect of what I do as an artist. It is an interesting challenge. I get to do a lot of drawing — that just keeps my other facilities in shape. It is really interesting to work on a huge scale,” DeLaitsch said.
Even before he attended art school, DeLaitsch had experience painting houses growing up. Drawing on that experience and combining it with his artistic skills, he found painting murals to be another medium for him.
In order to paint neatly, artist Steve DeLaitsch outlines a star with masking tape on Thursday, June 25. Every aspect of the mural, which overlooks Highway 23 in Spicer, is carefully painted to ensure that the image stands out to travelers on the road.
Levi Jones / West Central Tribune
The design was first sketched onto canvas and then another sketch was painted before DeLaitsch began working on the mural itself. As he paints, DeLaitsch steps back from the mural, trying to get closer to where the viewers and passing cars would be to see how the details and dimensions look.
“I was actually surprised during the day — with all of the other stuff around — how much it showed up, because it is not right on the highway. When it is lit up at night and everything else is dark, it is going to stand out,” DeLaitsch said.
When the mural is finished, the Nelsons plan to install lights to make the mural visible to drivers at night.
The mural is expected to be finished by the Fourth of July, though drivers passing by will be able to see it before then. While the mural will be lit up on the Fourth, there won’t be a special event to mark the occasion.
“We are going to light it up that night, but with all the fireworks going on in Spicer that night, I don’t think it would pay to do anything out here,” Steve Nelson said.
DeLaitsch will continue to work on the mural until it is completed. Occasional rains can hamper progress, but the weather has been nice enough to get most of the base done.
Levi Jones is the West Central Tribune’s business reporter. After growing up in the Twin Cities, Jones attended Hamline University for journalism and media communications. After graduating in 2020, Jones has worked as a reporter covering anything from sports to politics.