AURORA, Mo. (KY3) – All across Aurora, there are murals showcasing the town\u2019s identity.<\/p>\n
\u201cSoaked up all of the Aurora history and the people and the things that we\u2019re passionate about,\u201d Kim McCully Mobley, the co-director of the Aurora Houn\u2019 Dawg Alumni & Outreach Center, said.<\/p>\n
The man behind the brush strokes is Raine Clotfelter. You might know him by his alias \u2018America\u2019s Muralist.\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have been from coast to coast doing murals all across the country, and it\u2019s been fantastic,\u201d Raine said.<\/p>\n
Raine\u2019s attention to detail and blending of color is amazing, especially for someone who has never taken an art class.<\/p>\n
\u201cI went to school in Antlers, Oklahoma,\u201d Raine said, \u201cand it was a very small school, and they didn\u2019t have art.\u201d<\/p>\n
Raine followed his father\u2019s bootsteps by joining the Navy. And despite his lack of experience, he applied to be an illustrator draftsman.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy portfolio was selected first across the board, and I scored the highest out of all 22 applicants on the exam,\u201d Raine said.<\/p>\n
For 23 years, Raine worked with Admirals, command staff, and NCIS. But when he was asked to paint a mural in a conference room in Tulsa, his life changed. One job turned into two, then three, and then his wife, Trish, had an idea.<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2018Why don\u2019t you just go on the road doing murals? That\u2019s what you love to do.\u2019 So I was like, \u2018No one\u2019s gonna pay me to do this,\u2019\u201d Raine laughed. \u201cShe was right. I was wrong. Of course. You know how that works.\u201d<\/p>\n
One of his most well-known works is just down the road from Aurora. Freedom Silo in Monett is one of Harley-Davidson\u2019s must-visit photo ops.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe last couple of years, I think it was their number one destination out of 10 in America for the motorcyclists to go to,\u201d Raine said. \u201cThey have 100 destinations worldwide, and that was also listed in the top 100!\u201d <\/p>\n
Now, Raine is back up Highway 60 in Aurora. Outside the Old Armory are two of his murals, while inside, he\u2019s finishing up mural number five for the city\u2019s \u2018All Roads Lead Home\u2019 series.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe postcard sends a message of how important it was to communicate to your soldiers and your loved ones who were fighting,\u201d Kim said. \u201cThe idea that people wanted to stay connected and they wanted people to know that they loved them, that they supported them. From near and far. And that\u2019s kind of that message that we wanted to send with that postcard.\u201d<\/p>\n
Raine has done roughly 280 murals. But what makes this one unique is it\u2019s the first one he\u2019s doing for America\u2019s 250th birthday next summer.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut the important part is 250 years of freedom,\u201c Raine said. \u201dA lot of countries don\u2019t have that.\u201d<\/p>\n
You\u2019re invited to the ribbon-cutting on Friday, August 22. It\u2019s at 11 a.m. at the Aurora School District offices on South Madison. <\/p>\n