The popular Slater muralist Shawn Palek added the final airbrushings to his latest downtown Perry creation Wednesday, the mural facing the Josh Davis Memorial Plaza.
Painted from an original design conceived by the ladies of La Poste and the Art of the Prairie group, the eagle-themed patriotic mural adorns the southern wall of Sun Wong’s Mandarin Cafe restaurant.
“A mural I just finished in Perry, Iowa,” Palek posted on his Facebook page, “500+sq feet 34.5 hours. All painted with my Iwata eclipse on rough brick texture. Memorial to Marine Josh Davis.”
U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Joshua M. Davis of Perry was killed in action in Afghanistan in 2010. Davis was a 2009 graduate of Perry High School. He was 19 when killed.
Palek began the mural in October 2019 and completed it just in time for the first Perry Farmers Market Thursday and Saturday’s Fourth of July celebrations.
The painting is subscribed with the motto, “Dedicated to all the Service Men and Women.” Alongside Old Glory is a second inscription reading, “Marine Roll Call. If you are a Marine, please sign your name.”
Palek estimated in October it would take about 30 hours to fill the 26-foot-by-30-foot white space.
