Work has been completed on the repainting of the Sweney Corner mural at Main and Broadway in Salem.
Bernie Gietl of Carlinville was hired to complete the project after being recommended by the original painter of the mural. He and several of his children worked on the project most of last week using scaffolding to be able to reach the top portions of the mural.
“This one’s a repaint,” Gietl said. “It was pretty badly faded. We had to wash the whole thing because it was chalky. We used black Sharpie on all the images, all the lettering, all the people, and then you put the primer on it and that Sharpie will bleed through so you don’t lose the image. Then it’s just a matter of building the colors on top of that primer.”
Gietl says a special vibrant long lasting paint was used. He then applied a clear coat UV resistant coating to protect the mural. Gietl says the refurbishing should last longer than the original mural that was painted about 30 years ago.
Gietl says refurbishing murals is fairly rare. Most of his work is on new murals. Two of his children want to learn the process so they can also pursue paintings on their own.
