Craig Thomas showcases Jackson ife in junior high mural

The students at Jackson Junior High hang their art in the cafeteria to add a little color to the harsh, white cinderblock walls. The large, bland room received a permanent piece of color and social commentary with the unveiling of a 36-foot mural by local artist Craig Thomas.

The mural, entitled "The Life and Times of Jackson, Missouri," took Thomas a total six weeks at 40 hours a week, though the time was spread out over about six months. He said it was the most technically challenging piece and by far the most colorful he's ever done.

The images in the mural flow from one panel to the next with baseball, the Bollinger Mill, the marching band, students studying, Hubble Creek, football, volleyball and other scenes that Thomas and the students he consulted thought represented Jackson. There's even a tractor plowing a field at sunset.

"When I moved here Jackson was very much an ag town," Thomas said. "It still is."

Getting the 12 panels to match up was tough, he said. The mural in its entirety wouldn't fit in his studio, so Thomas had to periodically lay the panels out in his driveway to make sure the scenes matched.

It was hard "letting everything flow together," he said. Though Thomas often uses bright colors in his work, he said it was challenging trying to manage the bright hues and find a balance between abstract and realism.

The school's principal, Cory Crosnoe, had worked with Thomas for the tiger mural at Cape Girardeau Central High School. When he looked at the walls of the junior high, he knew they needed something.

"There hasn't been a lot of chance to get a lot of color in," Crosnoe said. The mural was a way to liven up the place.

The student council spent around a year raising money with raffles, back-to-school T-shirts and two dances. They also sent letters to area businesses soliciting donations.

Student council president Dru Haertling, 14, and vice president Kelsey McDowell, 15, were giddy after students tore down the alternating red and black strips of paper hiding each panel.

"It looks really cool," Haertling said.