Photo Essay: Painting Cape Girardeau's flood wall mural

Every working day since September, lead artist Craig Thomas has donned his paint splattered clothing and climbed onto scaffolding and lifts to work on the new river wall mural in downtown Cape Girardeau.

Thomas is no stranger to creating murals. He has worked on multiple murals in Southeast Missouri and beyond, but has been living in Cape Girardeau for over 30 years.

"It's good to present something in your community that you've been to or been involved with," Thomas said about creating this mural.

Five others have helped him create the new mural that will last for decades. They used silica-based paint and a weather sealer.

The wall's new look was chosen by a committee that included Thomas. Each letter has a different theme representative of Cape Girardeau within it.

Head artist Craig Thomas paints the new mural on the river wall Oct. 17, 2021 in Cape Girardeau.Sarah Yenesel ~ sarahy@semissourian.com

The "C" is an ode to Cape Girardeau Public Schools with depictions of the current high school and another school building of the past, in addition to the tiger mascot. The "M" depicts Bollinger Mill, a regarded gem of the county. Local hospitals, the casino, former courthouse, Trail of Tears State Park and more are also painted in the letters.

While Thomas has done many murals before, the riverfront has been an exceptional space to work. "This is one of the best studios ever," Thomas said in regards to his experience there.

He said he has met regulars of the walk way and brand new tourists. He also has seen interesting weather, including a double rainbow over the river, one of his favorites.