Muralist Shawn Palek, not resting on his laurels after the April completion of his Perry Perk mural, has started a new artwork in Perry, this time reproducing a 1953 Sinclair service station calendar on the backside of the Perry Oil Co. at 1223 Willis Ave.
“If you’re curious as to why a section of the back wall on the station is being primed,” it is because it will soon contain Palek’s massive mural, said the repro station owner Joe Unger of Perry. “He started by projecting the image onto the wall last night to help position and size it.”
The ghostly projection will soon be realized in living color by the hand of Palek, who suffers for his art.
“With the sun beating down, the wall is getting pretty hot to work on,” he said Monday. “I’ve drank at least a gallon of water so far.”
Luckily, the forecast calls for cooler temperatures this week. Palek said the muralist’s art demands a full-body commitment.
“All murals make me sore,” he said. “You just use so much of your body.”
Unger continues his steady series of improvements and additions to the Perry Oil Co. grounds at Third and Willis.
“I can’t take full credit for this one,” Unger said. “Jenny Eklund planted the idea and made it a reality.”
The mural invites eastbound motorists and cyclists to stop and admire the post-war-era memorial to America’s love of automobiles and fossil fuels.
