Audio Description: Granby Veterans Mural by Sandra Pemberton
Press play and discover Sandra Pemberton's painting Granby Veterans Mural. Hear a detailed description of the artwork, descriptions of the colors and forms in the painting, and how the artists made the work. (Close captions available on video.)
Granby Veterans Mural, Sandra Pemberton, 2022, Latex
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Granby Veterans Mural by Sandra Pemberton is a 16 foot tall by 40 foot wide mural painted with exterior latex paints in 2022. It is painted on the west facing wall of the Granby Community Building. The mural serves as a backdrop to Granby’s Veterans Park. The mural is painted directly on the building's surface which is made of smooth concrete with 4 pilasters and 3 recessed areas. A window is high in the center top of the mural with two exterior light fixtures to the left and right center at the top of the wall.
Starting at the top left side of the mural, we see a portion of the stars and stripes of a waving American flag spread across the mural. The flag’s design spans across almost all of the left side and top of the mural. There is a diagonal line from the bottom left corner to the top right corner where you can see the bottom of the flag transition into a brightly colored sunset. The flag and sunset make up the majority of the background and are painted in vibrant colors. The flag is in its traditional red and white stripes with a blue square in the top left filled with white stars in orderly rows. The sunset starts with a deep purple and fades down into intense red, orange, and finally yellow.
In the sky on the right side of the work, we see a bald eagle soaring toward the left. The bald eagle was adopted by the Continental Congress in 1782 for the design of the Great Seal of the United States and has since served as the national symbol of the nation. Its body is tilted towards us, the wings fully spread open as it glides through the air. The eagle’s left wing is seen overlapping the flag as that wing’s feather tips stretch to the top of the mural and disappear off the top of the wall. The other wing stretches down toward the mural’s bottom, its feather tips over the yellow portion of the sunset. The eagle’s feathers are primarily dark brown with light brown highlights showing the texture of the feathers. It has a white feather crowned head and white tail with grey shadows in the feathers. Its head is in profile with a prominent yellow beak that points slightly down and is partially open with a large nostril lifted from the beak’s smooth surface. The eagle's fierce expression is completed with a sharp gaze from its left eye that is a mixture of yellow, blue, and green. A set of yellow talons are clenched tightly together and tucked under its tail feathers.
Below the eagle is a mountain range painted in an icy, bright blue. White and dark blue paint is used to showcase the various peaks and rocky structures of the mountains. Covering the base of the mountains, and taking up the rest of the bottom right corner of the mural, we see the top of a tattered, brown piece of parchment paper with large, scrolling, black letters that read “We the People” in a calligraphy style font. This is the beginning phrase of the preamble to the United States Constitution. This phrase is significant because it establishes that the government's power comes directly from the citizens, not from a monarch or other authority.
To the left of the parchment, we move to the center of the piece. Here we see a Battlefield Cross. This memorial shows honor and respect for the dead at the battle site. The practice started during World War I, as a sign of respect for those that gave their lives in combat during wartime.
We see a pair of laced and tied, dark brown combat boots with a service rifle’s barrel placed down into the left boot so that the stock of the gun stands up. A black helmet is perched atop its stock and a set of silver dog tags hang from its magazine. The boots are completely visible through a parted clump of light brown grass. This grassy terrain makes up the remaining ground of the mural as we continue behind and to the left of this central design.
On top of this, now shadowy, grassy terrain, we see four figures and a canine outfitted in combat uniforms with helmets and armor. They are painted in a Grisaille style which is a technique that uses only a single color, to create a monochromatic image. Four of the soldiers have weapons - some slung behind their backs and others held in front of themselves - while the fifth soldier is a Military Working Dog wearing a protective vest with pouches.
The soldier to the far left stands facing the viewer his rifle resting across his chest and pointed down. Going right we see the Military Working Dog standing in profile with his head turned looking at the viewer. His pointed ears are up and his tail low as he stands ready to serve. He wears a protective, armored vest around his torso. The final three soldiers are seen to the right. The first soldier, in this group, is walking up over the terrain, his rifle slung across his back. Next, we see a soldier standing casually with his rifle hanging across his torso. The final soldier stands at attention, rifle on his back, and his hands down to his sides.
In 2021 officials with the City of Granby reached out to Pemberton after seeing other areas’ examples of her mural work. They worked together to create a design that would honor veterans and serve as a backdrop to Granby’s Veterans Park.
Veterans Park sits at the corner of North Main Street and East Church Street. It was established to honor all veterans from the community. Currently, the park features Flags of the United States Armed Forces along with the Flag of the United States, a decommissioned howitzer dedicated by Granby Masonic Lodge in 1998, a bench dedicated in 2024 to the memory of Steve White who served in Missouri National Guard and as a Granby Municipal Court judge, a pavilion made of grey stone, and several pieces of children's playground equipment and picnic tables in bright colors.
Starting at the top left side of the mural, we see a portion of the stars and stripes of a waving American flag spread across the mural. The flag’s design spans across almost all of the left side and top of the mural. There is a diagonal line from the bottom left corner to the top right corner where you can see the bottom of the flag transition into a brightly colored sunset. The flag and sunset make up the majority of the background and are painted in vibrant colors. The flag is in its traditional red and white stripes with a blue square in the top left filled with white stars in orderly rows. The sunset starts with a deep purple and fades down into intense red, orange, and finally yellow.
In the sky on the right side of the work, we see a bald eagle soaring toward the left. The bald eagle was adopted by the Continental Congress in 1782 for the design of the Great Seal of the United States and has since served as the national symbol of the nation. Its body is tilted towards us, the wings fully spread open as it glides through the air. The eagle’s left wing is seen overlapping the flag as that wing’s feather tips stretch to the top of the mural and disappear off the top of the wall. The other wing stretches down toward the mural’s bottom, its feather tips over the yellow portion of the sunset. The eagle’s feathers are primarily dark brown with light brown highlights showing the texture of the feathers. It has a white feather crowned head and white tail with grey shadows in the feathers. Its head is in profile with a prominent yellow beak that points slightly down and is partially open with a large nostril lifted from the beak’s smooth surface. The eagle's fierce expression is completed with a sharp gaze from its left eye that is a mixture of yellow, blue, and green. A set of yellow talons are clenched tightly together and tucked under its tail feathers.
Below the eagle is a mountain range painted in an icy, bright blue. White and dark blue paint is used to showcase the various peaks and rocky structures of the mountains. Covering the base of the mountains, and taking up the rest of the bottom right corner of the mural, we see the top of a tattered, brown piece of parchment paper with large, scrolling, black letters that read “We the People” in a calligraphy style font. This is the beginning phrase of the preamble to the United States Constitution. This phrase is significant because it establishes that the government's power comes directly from the citizens, not from a monarch or other authority.
To the left of the parchment, we move to the center of the piece. Here we see a Battlefield Cross. This memorial shows honor and respect for the dead at the battle site. The practice started during World War I, as a sign of respect for those that gave their lives in combat during wartime.
We see a pair of laced and tied, dark brown combat boots with a service rifle’s barrel placed down into the left boot so that the stock of the gun stands up. A black helmet is perched atop its stock and a set of silver dog tags hang from its magazine. The boots are completely visible through a parted clump of light brown grass. This grassy terrain makes up the remaining ground of the mural as we continue behind and to the left of this central design.
On top of this, now shadowy, grassy terrain, we see four figures and a canine outfitted in combat uniforms with helmets and armor. They are painted in a Grisaille style which is a technique that uses only a single color, to create a monochromatic image. Four of the soldiers have weapons - some slung behind their backs and others held in front of themselves - while the fifth soldier is a Military Working Dog wearing a protective vest with pouches.
The soldier to the far left stands facing the viewer his rifle resting across his chest and pointed down. Going right we see the Military Working Dog standing in profile with his head turned looking at the viewer. His pointed ears are up and his tail low as he stands ready to serve. He wears a protective, armored vest around his torso. The final three soldiers are seen to the right. The first soldier, in this group, is walking up over the terrain, his rifle slung across his back. Next, we see a soldier standing casually with his rifle hanging across his torso. The final soldier stands at attention, rifle on his back, and his hands down to his sides.
In 2021 officials with the City of Granby reached out to Pemberton after seeing other areas’ examples of her mural work. They worked together to create a design that would honor veterans and serve as a backdrop to Granby’s Veterans Park.
Veterans Park sits at the corner of North Main Street and East Church Street. It was established to honor all veterans from the community. Currently, the park features Flags of the United States Armed Forces along with the Flag of the United States, a decommissioned howitzer dedicated by Granby Masonic Lodge in 1998, a bench dedicated in 2024 to the memory of Steve White who served in Missouri National Guard and as a Granby Municipal Court judge, a pavilion made of grey stone, and several pieces of children's playground equipment and picnic tables in bright colors.
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Mural Location
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Northeast Corner of
North Main Street and East Church Street Granby, MO 64844 |
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Additional Content
The Creation Process
A behind the scenes look at the creation of "Granby Veterans Mural" by Sandra Pemberton.
Credit: Sandra Pemberton
Credit: Sandra Pemberton