WALL: PAINTERS WRAP UP MURAL JOB

When Richard Stout and Gary West looked at the section of the Mississippi River floodwall between Themis and Broadway more than a month ago, it looked very big.

When they put the first dab of paint on the wall to start a project that would end in a 320-foot-long, 14-foot-high, four-color mural, the wall loomed even larger.

Today, after many hours of meticulous, often tedious painting, the two Cape Girardeau sign painters have almost conquered the project. This week they will put the finishing touches on the mural, which depicts the community's heritage and development.

"We should be finished by Thursday afternoon," said West. "Things have gone well for us the past week, and we've progressed rapidly."

The painters, competitors in the sign-painting business, are good friends.

"We've helped each other out from time to time," said Stout. "But this is our first joint project, and it's worked out great. It's been a fun project."

The painters have worked "under the gun" since day one of the monstrous project.

"When we agreed to paint the mural, we were confident," said West. "The wall was big, but we had a lot of time before the Riverfest deadline."

Riverfest is Friday and Saturday.

"Then the weather stepped in," said Stout. "We had three or four days of rain in a row, and some other days with scattered showers. We began to have some second thoughts."

Once the painters started, the hours were long.

"We put in as many as 14 hours some days," said West. "We would start here about 5:30 a.m. and quit about 7:30 p.m., and we didn't take many breaks."

West's wife, Sharon, and Stout's wife, Margaret, have been supportive of the project, the men said.

"They've put up with our long hours and our being late for dinner," said Stout. "During the long days they brought us food and kept us company."

During the last couple of days, the painters knocked off during the hottest part of the day from about 11 a.m. to about 2 p.m.

The men have had audiences throughout much of their work.

"We've met people here from all over the United States and Canada," said Stout. "Tuesday morning some people were here from Alaska and Canada. They were amazed with the Mississippi River."

"During this time of year a lot of people are traveling," said West. "Over a two-week period here, you'll see people from almost every state."

Crowds that have gathered at times have not been a bother to the painters.

"We like an audience," said West. "We welcome people to watch."

Due to a previous commitment, West won't be painting today.

"I'll probably do some touch-up work," said Stout. "But we'll wait until Thursday to complete the wall together. We have only one other section to go."

The mural was planned by the River Heritage Mural Association in 16 sessions.

"This is the first mural we've done," said West. "We had some big sign-painting jobs but nothing like this."

The painters said they were all for more murals.

"There's a lot of wall space here," said West. "I think murals really add something to a concrete wall or building."

The painters will be getting back to some sign painting next week.

"We've had to put some things on the back burner," said Stout. "We've explained this to our customers and most of them understand."

"There's a lot of sign work in this area," said West. "A lot of it is seasonal, but there's enough to keep busy most of the year."

Stout, a native of Chicago and a graduate of Meridian High School near Mounds, Ill., has been a sign painter since 1969.

"When I was in high school, the art teacher introduced me to Hanna Sign Co. of Cairo, where I started painting signs on a part-time basis," said Stout. "I worked with a couple of different sign companies before starting my own company Stout Sign Co. here about three years ago."

West, of Cape Girardeau, started painting signs in 1972, and founded his own business West Sign Co. in 1977.

"Being here on the river brings back memories," said West. "As a youngster I used to spend a lot of time along the river. I did a lot of fishing beneath the river bridge."

West recalls his first sign job.

"I was working in a drive-in restaurant," he said. "The owner knew that I was a good art student in high school and asked if I would paint a new sign for the business. I did, and while I was painting it, a sign painter stopped and asked if I would be interested in going to work as a sign painter."

That was in 1972, and he has been painting signs since.

"We (West and Stout) haven't advanced into the computer age of the 1990s," said West. "We still rely on hand-lettering," said West. "One of the facets of the sign business is truck lettering."

The painters are working off of a scale model of the mural painting, which includes several buildings, Indians, a train, a steamboat and historic figures symbolic of Cape Girardeau. The mural was designed by artist Fred Lincoln of Memphis, formerly of Cape Girardeau.

"A lot of people wonder how we do this," said Stout. "We use a projector, shooting a section of the mural, then enlarging it on paper to the size needed for the wall. This gives us the outline."

The painters use a special paint for the mural.

"It's `One Shot' Bulletin Paint," said West. "It's a good outside paint and it's popular with most sign painters.