Audio Description: I Remember When by Sherry Pettey
Press play and discover Sherry Pettey's painting I Remember When. Hear a detailed description of the artwork, descriptions of the colors and forms in the painting, and how the artist made the work. (Close captions available on video.)
I Remember When, Sherry Pettey, 2007, Nova Color Acrylic
Read Transcript
I Remember When by Sherry Pettey is a 22 x 28 foot mural painted on the south facing exterior wall of the Granby Miners Museum in 2007 with a black frame painted clearly around the mural. It is one of two murals on the wall and was painted using Nova Color acrylic paint. This large-scale mural was executed by Pettey with assistance from Brittney Bailey and DJ Baca.
Starting in 1850, Granby, Missouri would be shaped as a community by a century of mining operations. Mining camps transitioned into a recognizable town by 1896 with over 30 retail businesses. This mural shows the mines in operation, the town as it grew, and the white workers and families of European descent who lived and worked in Granby though its mining era.
Starting with the lower right corner of the mural, we see an older man with a weathered, but pleased looking face, white hair and mustache, and downturned gaze. He’s dressed in blue overalls, a long-sleeve, peach shirt, with the cuffs rolled up past his wrists, and black boots. He sits in a green chair, a light brown plank floor beneath his feet. In his hands he holds a black miner’s helmet with a carbide lamp attached. No light emits from the lamp. At his knees stands a young boy with sandy colored hair wearing blue jeans, a green t-shirt, and dark athletic shoes. He stands close with one hand on the old man’s knee and the other on the lamp of the helmet. His head is tilted upward as he intently looks at the older man, no doubt listening to him tell stories of early lead mining and the development of Granby. This vignette depicts the mural’s title and the memories he shares are painted throughout the rest of the mural.
Behind the older man is a grey sidewalk that continues up the mural disappearing at the horizon line. Walking hand in hand down the walkway is a young blonde haired boy pointing to the mine on his left. He is dressed in blue overalls, a peach colored shirt, and black shoes. His face is in profile to the viewers as he looks up at a man and appears to be asking a question. The man, who is holding the boy's right hand, smiles while looking down at him. He has black hair and a black mustache and is wearing blue overalls, a green short-sleeved shirt, and a green, military-style patrol cap. They are walking up the hill with their backs to the viewer.
In front of the pair is an older boy running with a small, golden-brown dog at his left side. His sandy-colored hair is blown back from his face. He wears brown knickerbocker pants that come to his calves, cream-colored socks, and black shoes. You can see the bottom of his left shoe as he runs. He wears a white, short-sleeve shirt with dark suspenders crossing his back.
Moving farther up the sidewalk, we see a tall woman walking in a long, flowing, blue dress with long sleeves and matching hat. She holds the hand of a small girl on her right. The girl’s golden hair comes just past her shoulders and she wears a long flowing blue dress over a white blouse. As we move up the sidewalk toward the horizon line, the fashion depicted shows a progression back in time to the earliest days of Granby.
Looking at the upper right side of the mural, we see the bustling town of Granby. Main Street, grey from the dirt and dust of the mines, runs in front of grey and brown 1900’s era store fronts. Electric service poles and electric lines run along the street in front of the businesses. Electric service came to Granby on July 2, 1915 when the Granby Mining and Smelting Company ceremonially pushed buttons starting the big machinery that had been installed to run electricity. This electrical service quickly increased output and decreased production costs of smelting.
The tallest building on the street, seen second from the right side, is Spangle Richardson and Company, a dry goods store which was said to be the most comprehensive store of its kind in Newton County during this era. It is a three-story, brown brick building with a flat-top style roof that has a simple, central peak as an exterior ornamentation. It features an awning that runs over the sidewalk in front of the business and has a large, white banner with red letters reading “Grand Opening.” The silhouette of a person is visible in the windows above the awning. Below the awning an old man with white hair and beard is opening the building's door to go inside the store. He is wearing a long sleeved white shirt with black sleeve garter, brown vest, blue pants, and dark shoes. Behind that old man is a woman with honey brown hair dressed in a long, full, pink dress and a light blue hat adorned with white flowers walking down the sidewalk. Around the right corner of the dry goods store, we see a man looking out a window at the busy street partially obscured by the next business. This man has black hair and a black mustache and wears a white shirt, a black vest, and tie.
The building to the right is made of brown brick and features a simple cornice at the top of its flat roof. We cannot see the whole building as it disappears off frame to the right. Three large, frosted windows are along the top front of the building with blue lettering. From left to right they read: “Drugs”, “Sodas”, and the first three letters of Cigars are seen. Down on the sidewalk, a boy stands bent down with his hands and face pressed against the lower left window of the store looking in. He wears brown knickerbocker pants that come to his calves, cream colored socks, and black shoes. He wears a grey, short-sleeve shirt with black suspenders crossing his back.
To the right of the boy, a tall man is striding along the sidewalk in front of the windows, he is in ¾ profile, back to the viewer. He is wearing blue pants tucked into brown cowboy boots, a white, long-sleeve shirt, a brown vest, and a black tie is just visible over his shoulder. He wears a light grey cowboy hat over his black hair. To the right of the man is a yellow and brown tabby cat headed out of frame.
Moving down the mural, we see a sun-bleached, wooden farm wagon pulled by two dark-brown mules making its way up the road. The wagon holds a family of four: two children, a boy and a girl, ride in the back, their faces toward the viewer while the parents sit in the wagon seat, with their backs to the viewer and their faces barely visible. Seated on the right side, driving the team by holding their reins up in his hands in front of him, is a man with brown hair and a brown mustache. He is wearing a green, long-sleeved shirt and a flat-crowned, wide-brimmed, grey hat. Beside the man, clutching the back of the wagon seat with her left hand, is a woman dressed in a long, blue dress with short, puff sleeves and a fancy, matching hat that is adorned with two long feathers and flowers. The children’s heads are visible over the tailboard which they are gripping with their hands. The boy is seated on the right wearing a tan shirt and the girl on the left has long, curly, blond hair with a big, blue bow on top of her head. Surrounding the children are household items packed tightly. At the back of the wagon, just below the children, is a white banner hung with green lettering that spells out "Granby or Bust.” This family is moving to the town seeking work and a better life for themselves. They represent the thousands of prospectors and their families that flooded into Granby when rich deposits of Galena were found and mining got underway in earnest. The development of Granby grew rapidly during the mid to late 19th century.
In front of the wagon, crossing the street towards the stores, is a woman with auburn hair dressed in a long-sleeved, pale-pink dress, its hemline dragging along the ground behind her. She wears a large, yellow hat covered in flowers and carries a brown basket of flowers on her right arm. In front of her, a young girl twirls in excitement, her bright teal blue dress hem swooshed in motion as white petticoats peek out, with her arms raised up. A large bow matching her dress holds her blonde hair away from her face.
To the left of the pair, a black Model-T car is parked along the sidewalk, headlights toward the viewer. A distinguished man stands to its right facing the stores. He is wearing a black suit and tie with a flower in the buttonhole, a black hat, and has a black cane in his left hand. He represents the great wealth that could come from the mines.
Moving to the background of the mural, a bright blue sky and white clouds meet the rolling green hills on the horizon line. To the far left, are two grey, pointed mounds blocking the green hillside. These are “tailing piles” which contain the waste materials left after the mining and milling processes for lead and zinc ore. In front and to the right of the tailing piles, are the brown and grey wooden buildings (most with peaked roofs) of the Granby Mining and Smelting Company.
A rail system, supported by a framed trestle, can be seen attached to the three taller buildings. To the right of the tailing piles, we see one of those systems with the silhouette of a minecart being dumped by a man. The grey, peaked structure that the metal tracks are attached to is the mine’s shaft house.
To the left of the shaft house, is a long red building with a grey, two-tiered roof. In yellow lettering the name “Granby Mining and Smelting” is painted on the side of the building. In front of the building are hundreds of lead or zinc bars in tall stacks. A man, his back to the viewer, stands in yellow-green grass with his hands on his hips looking at the stacks of bars - the product of the mining operation. He wears a black, wide-brimmed hat, white long sleeved shirt, a black vest, and brown pants.
Below the man and extending to the bottom left corner of the mural, the scene moves underground into the mine tunnels.
Directly below the shaft house is the dark, narrow, vertical shaft where men and equipment entered and exited the mine and where lead containing rock was brought to the surface. In the shaft are two miners standing in a hoist bucket, the narrow cable that raises and lowers the bucket is between them and leads up, disappearing from our view at the bottom of the shaft house. The miner on the left stands with his back to the viewer and his face turned right in profile while the other man stands with his left shoulder facing the viewer looking toward the other man. He has a white work glove on his left hand, visible from his arm resting over the side of the bucket. They are both dressed in long-sleeved, work shirts and wearing black, mining helmets with light shining from the carbide lamps attached to the center front of the helmets.
To the left of the hoist bucket, another pair of miners are squatted down to fit into a small pocket in a mine tunnel. The man on the left wears a long-sleeved work shirt, blue jeans, black boots, white work gloves, and a black mining helmet with light shining from it. The man on the right is partially obscured by rock and wears a yellow, long-sleeved work shirt, black mining helmet, and white work gloves. In his right hand he holds a lit flashlight as he inspects the rock face for ore.
Moving into the bottom left corner of the mural, there is a tunnel with brown, wooden beams along the walls and ceiling to help stabilize the area and prevent collapse. Walking towards the viewer through the tunnel is a miner with a brown mule. This is the mule driver who managed the mules in the mines as they hoisted timbers, pulled heavy, full buckets full of ore or waste from the mines, and hauled equipment into the mines. The mules accomplished jobs that otherwise would have required the labor of a dozen miners. The dark-brown mule in the mural wears a leather bridle across its face (which has a white patch of hair down the front center), its ears are pointed up, and it leans its head over the miner's shoulder showing their bond by working close together. Both look directly out at the viewer. The miner is dressed in blue overalls, a long-sleeved, yellow shirt, tall, black work boots, white work gloves, and a black miner's helmet, its light shining bright.
To the right of the mule is an older miner, walking towards the left side of the mural. He walks stooped over with a grim expression on his face from years of hard work in the mines. He is dressed in blue overalls, a long-sleeved, green shirt, tall, black work boots, white work gloves, and a black miner's helmet with a shining carbide lamp attached. Over his shoulder, he carries a long, wood-handled mining pick with a gradually curved, forged metal head with two spiked ends used for extracting and breaking up ore.
Moving to the right is a set of tracks, coming out of a wooden beamed tunnel, that run up to the center of the mural. These tracks lead the viewer back outside of the mine. On the track are four, flat-top mining carts that each carry two metal buckets filled to the brim with bits of ore. The carts are being pulled out of the mine by two brown mules wearing leather harnesses. They are pulling the ore up the track which curves to the left and around water pooled outside the mine - which was pumped out to prevent flooding in the tunnels.
In 1857, the Granby Mining and Smelting Company was formed, and mining took place with increased vigor and more success than ever in the area. By 1869, the mining camps had transitioned to a recognizable town with over 30 retail businesses. During these early days of the mining, the value of zinc was low and it was often tossed aside. But by 1905, Zinc demand had increased to make brass, to galvanize metals to prevent rusting, and a new process for refining zinc had just been invented. Suddenly, Granby was in the right place at the right time supported further by the railroad providing easy transportation to the town. Soon, Granby led the world in zinc oxide production and the mines thrived. Unfortunately, the mines weren't destined to live forever. In the early 1950's, the ore, once thought to be inexhaustible, petered out and eventually all the mines closed, but the small town of Granby lives on and its history is still alive.
Artist Sherry Pettey painted and submitted a small scale version of I Remember When to the 2006 Thomas Hart Benton Festival Mural Contest being held by the Newton County Tourism Council. Her painting was selected as one of the two winning pieces that would be turned into a large-scale mural in Granby, Missouri. Sherry Petty, with assistance from Brittney Bailey and DJ Baca, painted the large scale mural over the course of several weeks. They used the traditional grid method to transfer the design. This method involved creating a grid on both the small design and the wall, then copying the design square by square.
Starting in 1850, Granby, Missouri would be shaped as a community by a century of mining operations. Mining camps transitioned into a recognizable town by 1896 with over 30 retail businesses. This mural shows the mines in operation, the town as it grew, and the white workers and families of European descent who lived and worked in Granby though its mining era.
Starting with the lower right corner of the mural, we see an older man with a weathered, but pleased looking face, white hair and mustache, and downturned gaze. He’s dressed in blue overalls, a long-sleeve, peach shirt, with the cuffs rolled up past his wrists, and black boots. He sits in a green chair, a light brown plank floor beneath his feet. In his hands he holds a black miner’s helmet with a carbide lamp attached. No light emits from the lamp. At his knees stands a young boy with sandy colored hair wearing blue jeans, a green t-shirt, and dark athletic shoes. He stands close with one hand on the old man’s knee and the other on the lamp of the helmet. His head is tilted upward as he intently looks at the older man, no doubt listening to him tell stories of early lead mining and the development of Granby. This vignette depicts the mural’s title and the memories he shares are painted throughout the rest of the mural.
Behind the older man is a grey sidewalk that continues up the mural disappearing at the horizon line. Walking hand in hand down the walkway is a young blonde haired boy pointing to the mine on his left. He is dressed in blue overalls, a peach colored shirt, and black shoes. His face is in profile to the viewers as he looks up at a man and appears to be asking a question. The man, who is holding the boy's right hand, smiles while looking down at him. He has black hair and a black mustache and is wearing blue overalls, a green short-sleeved shirt, and a green, military-style patrol cap. They are walking up the hill with their backs to the viewer.
In front of the pair is an older boy running with a small, golden-brown dog at his left side. His sandy-colored hair is blown back from his face. He wears brown knickerbocker pants that come to his calves, cream-colored socks, and black shoes. You can see the bottom of his left shoe as he runs. He wears a white, short-sleeve shirt with dark suspenders crossing his back.
Moving farther up the sidewalk, we see a tall woman walking in a long, flowing, blue dress with long sleeves and matching hat. She holds the hand of a small girl on her right. The girl’s golden hair comes just past her shoulders and she wears a long flowing blue dress over a white blouse. As we move up the sidewalk toward the horizon line, the fashion depicted shows a progression back in time to the earliest days of Granby.
Looking at the upper right side of the mural, we see the bustling town of Granby. Main Street, grey from the dirt and dust of the mines, runs in front of grey and brown 1900’s era store fronts. Electric service poles and electric lines run along the street in front of the businesses. Electric service came to Granby on July 2, 1915 when the Granby Mining and Smelting Company ceremonially pushed buttons starting the big machinery that had been installed to run electricity. This electrical service quickly increased output and decreased production costs of smelting.
The tallest building on the street, seen second from the right side, is Spangle Richardson and Company, a dry goods store which was said to be the most comprehensive store of its kind in Newton County during this era. It is a three-story, brown brick building with a flat-top style roof that has a simple, central peak as an exterior ornamentation. It features an awning that runs over the sidewalk in front of the business and has a large, white banner with red letters reading “Grand Opening.” The silhouette of a person is visible in the windows above the awning. Below the awning an old man with white hair and beard is opening the building's door to go inside the store. He is wearing a long sleeved white shirt with black sleeve garter, brown vest, blue pants, and dark shoes. Behind that old man is a woman with honey brown hair dressed in a long, full, pink dress and a light blue hat adorned with white flowers walking down the sidewalk. Around the right corner of the dry goods store, we see a man looking out a window at the busy street partially obscured by the next business. This man has black hair and a black mustache and wears a white shirt, a black vest, and tie.
The building to the right is made of brown brick and features a simple cornice at the top of its flat roof. We cannot see the whole building as it disappears off frame to the right. Three large, frosted windows are along the top front of the building with blue lettering. From left to right they read: “Drugs”, “Sodas”, and the first three letters of Cigars are seen. Down on the sidewalk, a boy stands bent down with his hands and face pressed against the lower left window of the store looking in. He wears brown knickerbocker pants that come to his calves, cream colored socks, and black shoes. He wears a grey, short-sleeve shirt with black suspenders crossing his back.
To the right of the boy, a tall man is striding along the sidewalk in front of the windows, he is in ¾ profile, back to the viewer. He is wearing blue pants tucked into brown cowboy boots, a white, long-sleeve shirt, a brown vest, and a black tie is just visible over his shoulder. He wears a light grey cowboy hat over his black hair. To the right of the man is a yellow and brown tabby cat headed out of frame.
Moving down the mural, we see a sun-bleached, wooden farm wagon pulled by two dark-brown mules making its way up the road. The wagon holds a family of four: two children, a boy and a girl, ride in the back, their faces toward the viewer while the parents sit in the wagon seat, with their backs to the viewer and their faces barely visible. Seated on the right side, driving the team by holding their reins up in his hands in front of him, is a man with brown hair and a brown mustache. He is wearing a green, long-sleeved shirt and a flat-crowned, wide-brimmed, grey hat. Beside the man, clutching the back of the wagon seat with her left hand, is a woman dressed in a long, blue dress with short, puff sleeves and a fancy, matching hat that is adorned with two long feathers and flowers. The children’s heads are visible over the tailboard which they are gripping with their hands. The boy is seated on the right wearing a tan shirt and the girl on the left has long, curly, blond hair with a big, blue bow on top of her head. Surrounding the children are household items packed tightly. At the back of the wagon, just below the children, is a white banner hung with green lettering that spells out "Granby or Bust.” This family is moving to the town seeking work and a better life for themselves. They represent the thousands of prospectors and their families that flooded into Granby when rich deposits of Galena were found and mining got underway in earnest. The development of Granby grew rapidly during the mid to late 19th century.
In front of the wagon, crossing the street towards the stores, is a woman with auburn hair dressed in a long-sleeved, pale-pink dress, its hemline dragging along the ground behind her. She wears a large, yellow hat covered in flowers and carries a brown basket of flowers on her right arm. In front of her, a young girl twirls in excitement, her bright teal blue dress hem swooshed in motion as white petticoats peek out, with her arms raised up. A large bow matching her dress holds her blonde hair away from her face.
To the left of the pair, a black Model-T car is parked along the sidewalk, headlights toward the viewer. A distinguished man stands to its right facing the stores. He is wearing a black suit and tie with a flower in the buttonhole, a black hat, and has a black cane in his left hand. He represents the great wealth that could come from the mines.
Moving to the background of the mural, a bright blue sky and white clouds meet the rolling green hills on the horizon line. To the far left, are two grey, pointed mounds blocking the green hillside. These are “tailing piles” which contain the waste materials left after the mining and milling processes for lead and zinc ore. In front and to the right of the tailing piles, are the brown and grey wooden buildings (most with peaked roofs) of the Granby Mining and Smelting Company.
A rail system, supported by a framed trestle, can be seen attached to the three taller buildings. To the right of the tailing piles, we see one of those systems with the silhouette of a minecart being dumped by a man. The grey, peaked structure that the metal tracks are attached to is the mine’s shaft house.
To the left of the shaft house, is a long red building with a grey, two-tiered roof. In yellow lettering the name “Granby Mining and Smelting” is painted on the side of the building. In front of the building are hundreds of lead or zinc bars in tall stacks. A man, his back to the viewer, stands in yellow-green grass with his hands on his hips looking at the stacks of bars - the product of the mining operation. He wears a black, wide-brimmed hat, white long sleeved shirt, a black vest, and brown pants.
Below the man and extending to the bottom left corner of the mural, the scene moves underground into the mine tunnels.
Directly below the shaft house is the dark, narrow, vertical shaft where men and equipment entered and exited the mine and where lead containing rock was brought to the surface. In the shaft are two miners standing in a hoist bucket, the narrow cable that raises and lowers the bucket is between them and leads up, disappearing from our view at the bottom of the shaft house. The miner on the left stands with his back to the viewer and his face turned right in profile while the other man stands with his left shoulder facing the viewer looking toward the other man. He has a white work glove on his left hand, visible from his arm resting over the side of the bucket. They are both dressed in long-sleeved, work shirts and wearing black, mining helmets with light shining from the carbide lamps attached to the center front of the helmets.
To the left of the hoist bucket, another pair of miners are squatted down to fit into a small pocket in a mine tunnel. The man on the left wears a long-sleeved work shirt, blue jeans, black boots, white work gloves, and a black mining helmet with light shining from it. The man on the right is partially obscured by rock and wears a yellow, long-sleeved work shirt, black mining helmet, and white work gloves. In his right hand he holds a lit flashlight as he inspects the rock face for ore.
Moving into the bottom left corner of the mural, there is a tunnel with brown, wooden beams along the walls and ceiling to help stabilize the area and prevent collapse. Walking towards the viewer through the tunnel is a miner with a brown mule. This is the mule driver who managed the mules in the mines as they hoisted timbers, pulled heavy, full buckets full of ore or waste from the mines, and hauled equipment into the mines. The mules accomplished jobs that otherwise would have required the labor of a dozen miners. The dark-brown mule in the mural wears a leather bridle across its face (which has a white patch of hair down the front center), its ears are pointed up, and it leans its head over the miner's shoulder showing their bond by working close together. Both look directly out at the viewer. The miner is dressed in blue overalls, a long-sleeved, yellow shirt, tall, black work boots, white work gloves, and a black miner's helmet, its light shining bright.
To the right of the mule is an older miner, walking towards the left side of the mural. He walks stooped over with a grim expression on his face from years of hard work in the mines. He is dressed in blue overalls, a long-sleeved, green shirt, tall, black work boots, white work gloves, and a black miner's helmet with a shining carbide lamp attached. Over his shoulder, he carries a long, wood-handled mining pick with a gradually curved, forged metal head with two spiked ends used for extracting and breaking up ore.
Moving to the right is a set of tracks, coming out of a wooden beamed tunnel, that run up to the center of the mural. These tracks lead the viewer back outside of the mine. On the track are four, flat-top mining carts that each carry two metal buckets filled to the brim with bits of ore. The carts are being pulled out of the mine by two brown mules wearing leather harnesses. They are pulling the ore up the track which curves to the left and around water pooled outside the mine - which was pumped out to prevent flooding in the tunnels.
In 1857, the Granby Mining and Smelting Company was formed, and mining took place with increased vigor and more success than ever in the area. By 1869, the mining camps had transitioned to a recognizable town with over 30 retail businesses. During these early days of the mining, the value of zinc was low and it was often tossed aside. But by 1905, Zinc demand had increased to make brass, to galvanize metals to prevent rusting, and a new process for refining zinc had just been invented. Suddenly, Granby was in the right place at the right time supported further by the railroad providing easy transportation to the town. Soon, Granby led the world in zinc oxide production and the mines thrived. Unfortunately, the mines weren't destined to live forever. In the early 1950's, the ore, once thought to be inexhaustible, petered out and eventually all the mines closed, but the small town of Granby lives on and its history is still alive.
Artist Sherry Pettey painted and submitted a small scale version of I Remember When to the 2006 Thomas Hart Benton Festival Mural Contest being held by the Newton County Tourism Council. Her painting was selected as one of the two winning pieces that would be turned into a large-scale mural in Granby, Missouri. Sherry Petty, with assistance from Brittney Bailey and DJ Baca, painted the large scale mural over the course of several weeks. They used the traditional grid method to transfer the design. This method involved creating a grid on both the small design and the wall, then copying the design square by square.
Large Print Transcript
View images
Mural Location
|
Granby Miners Museum
South Exterior Wall 218 N. Main St. Granby, MO 64844 Museum is open by appointment only by calling 417-850-1451 and during major town celebrations. |
|
Additional Content
Historic Granby photos
Mural Competition and Creation
In 2006 the Thomas Hart Benton Festival Mural Contest was held by the Newton County Tourism Council. Above is the small scale version of I Remember When by Sherry Pettey. It was from this design that Pettey's work was selected as was one of two winners that year to have their work translated into a large scale mural.
|
In 2007 I Remember When was turned into a large scale mural using the traditional grid method to transfer the design. This method involved creating a grid on both the small design and the wall, then copying the design square by square.
Sherry Petty (Seen here painting on the mural) executed the large-scale mural over the course of several weeks with assistance from Brittney Bailey and DJ Baca. |
Mural Preservation
The mural is sealed with a clear top coat to help prevent UV light damage and protect it from the elements. Here are images from a 2022 reapplication of that clear sealant.