A mural in East Grand Forks depicting fishes of the Red River is now complete, and in fishing vernacular, it’s a keeper.
Created by Crookston artists Trey Everett and Ross Hier, the 10x10-foot mural on the exterior of the Riverwalk Center at the corner of DeMers Avenue and Second Street Northwest features 33 of the 50-plus fish species native to the Red River.
ADVERTISEMENT
Included are high-profile species such as the lake sturgeon, walleye and channel catfish, along with smaller, lesser-known native fish such as stickleback, logperch and hornhead chub. There’s also a moose, an eagle (an homage to East Grand Forks Sacred Heart), a green wave (for Senior High), a letter N (for Northland Community and Technical College) and an artistic flame (for UND).
Hier, who retired in 2016 as area wildlife manager for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources in Crookston, said he and Everett decided to collaborate on the project after seeing an ad the Downtown Development Association ran in January, seeking potential design ideas for a mural featuring fish native to the Red River.
The goal was to showcase the connection between the community and the river.
“That just lit me up when I read that, because I thought, ‘Well, that’s something I could contribute with Trey if we went in on a collaboration,’ ” Hier said.
Everett has painted several murals in Crookston, while Hier specializes in wildlife and nature art – especially artwork focusing on prairie and wetland scenes.
Each brought a unique skill set to the project, Hier a talent for the detail required to paint each fish and Everett a background in creating the lettering and other elements of the design. Everett also did all the math and gridding that was required to design the mural.
“We’re a good team,” Hier said. “When Trey has done murals in Crookston, I’ve stepped in and helped.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Everett came up with the vintage postage stamp motif, similar to the signage one might see along Historic Route 66. A Downtown Development Association committee then selected their design from among eight entries from as far away as Illinois and Ohio, Everett said.
“It was great, because they said they looked at ours first, and wished they would have looked at ours last because they said they compared them all to ours and they loved ours so much,” he said. “That’s exciting.”
The artists used a Direct to Metal acrylic paint – DTM, for short – for creating the mural, Everett said, finishing it off with a semi-glossy coating of polyurethane for protection from UV rays.
“It just holds up really well and covers nicely,” Everett said. “It’s long-lasting.”
It’s not obvious, Hier said, but the name of each fish is encrypted within each of the species featured in the mural.
“We’re trying to teach kids,” Hier said. “The parents might read that and say, ‘Hey kids, the names are on the fish.’ So, we’re trying to use this as a teaching lesson. Most people still can’t believe there’s over 50 species in this river.”
The mural also includes fun facts about the Red River. To wit:
ADVERTISEMENT
“There are upwards of 250,000 rivers in the USA. The Red River of the North is one of approximately 48 that flows north.”
Everett said the East Grand Forks mural is “a little different” from many of the murals he’s done in the past. Where most murals are painted to be seen from a distance, this mural also is designed to be seen up close.
Originally, Everett and Hier planned to start on the project Monday, June 17, but that was delayed a couple of days because of rain.
“We got chased away several mornings after a couple of hours,” Hier said. “Our time in June, it was challenging. July got a little better but then we took a few days off here and there for holidays or whatever.”
The two artists were on the homestretch of finishing the mural on a recent July morning, but even though it wasn’t yet noon, they’d soon have to wrap up for the day because of the sun and heat.
Getting an early start each day was essential, Hier said.
“Trey is a morning person, and I’m not,” he said. “We’d have to be here by 6:30-7-7:30 (a.m.) because we’re in the shade. By 2, it’s brilliant and I can’t even see the paint I’m mixing, and it dries too fast.”
ADVERTISEMENT
With East Grand Forks Catfish Days right around the corner, the anglers who converge on the Red River for the Cats Incredible Catfish Tournament might wonder why the mural doesn’t feature a catfish more prominently than, say, a sturgeon or a northern pike.
A minor quibble, that; call it artist’s prerogative.
“It’s totally artistic,” Hier said of his process to decide what native fish to include and where to place them on the mural. Just a gut feeling – artistic – I don’t know, I can’t explain. I hope it looks good.
“I just thought we needed a big predator right up top that kind of looks angry and maybe draws people in.”
As the Herald reported in June, the mural is funded by the Iseminger Family Endowment for the Arts, which is administered through the Community Foundation of Grand Forks, East Grand Forks and Region.
About $4,500 was budgeted for the project, a joint beautification effort with several partners, including the Riverwalk Center and the city of East Grand Forks. A photo op with East Grand Forks city officials, Downtown Development Association staff and the artists is planned for 10 a.m. Monday, July 22.
The Trust Project
