Soaring eagle, lifting spirits: Artist of rural Harpers Ferry shed mural hopes others find comfort and inspiration in her therapeutic creation


An inspiring view in a time of uncertainty ... The long-standing blue metal shed on the farm property of the late Lloyd and Ethel Meehan west of Harpers Ferry along Lansing Harpers Road received a picturesque facelift throughout this past summer and fall with the mural pictured above that now graces the side of the building facing the “T” intersection of State Forest Road with Lansing Harpers Road. Rural Harpers Ferry resident Mary Willie was granted permission from the Meehan family members who currently own the farm to paint this mural representative of the area in an effort for her to lift the spirits of others during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic while also serving as a bit of therapy for herself during the past several months of social distancing and uncertainty. Submitted photo.

Seasonal adjustments... Whether it was the warmth of summer or the chilly winds of fall, Mary Willie of rural Harpers Ferry could likely be found painting the mural she created on a farm shed west of Harpers Ferry during the past nine months. Willie often noticed the shed when she traveled to and from nearby Yellow River State Forest, thinking it would be an ideal location for an outdoor mural. Submitted photo.

by Kelli Boylen

It’s hard to say CO-VID-19 is positive in any way, but sometimes something positively beautiful can come from uncommon, not-so-positive things. Such could be said about the new look of the blue metal shed located on the former Lloyd and Ethel Meehan farm west of Harpers Ferry.

Mary Willie of rural Harpers Ferry wanted to find a different way to connect with others when recommended COVID social restrictions started last spring. She was feeling anxious and isolated from her friends, so she turned to her art.

Willie visits Yellow River State Forest near her home quite often and had thought for quite some time that the blue metal shed at the “T” intersection of State Forest Road and Lansing Harpers Road/X42 would be a great place for an outdoor mural. She asked the owners of the building, children and grandchildren of the late Lloyd and Ethel Meehan, for permission and she started working on designs. She had the family choose from the six designs she created and she then set to work.

Willie had painted an indoor mural before, but never an outdoor one and never one to this scale. She says her large scale project on the 14’ x 72’ shed was “therapy” for her, and hopefully for others who enjoy it.

“We can all do good things, one person can make a difference,” she shared. “I was encouraged by other people who were finding ways to share their talents during a time of isolation.”

Willie enjoys painting, mostly acrylics on canvas, and doing photography. She pulled together several images of the Mississippi River in the Driftless Area to create her design - the finished product is not of any specific location, but rather a conglomeration of different images showing the beauty of the region.

She put her original design on a grid and then created a grid on the shed in order to get it to a larger scale. She started painting in May of this year and says she put in an average of about 10 to 15 hours a week over the summer.

Willie admits that painting on corrugated metal was a bit of a challenge, the ridges make it difficult to paint straight lines. But she noted most people will not likely notice a crooked line when driving by the shed mural on the highway.

She purchased the paint and brushes herself, and was assisted by her husband, Troy, when the wagon she was using needed to be moved. Winds this fall had slowed her work. She had to wire the ladder to the wagon a couple of times, and once she had to retrieve paint that blew into a cow pasture.

She had one other setback while working on the mural. She painted up near the top of the shed wall late one afternoon, and it became damp up under the eaves. When she returned she found the paint had run down across an area that was already complete. It took her about 10 hours to repair it.

Most days though, she enjoyed her work. She was often in the shade while she worked. She said she made new friends while working on the mural, as well as meeting neighbors she did not know. Some people stopped to meet her and visit, others shouted positive encouragement from the adjacent roadway.

Willie has lived in the Harpers Ferry area for about five years after growing up in Wisconsin and living in other places over the years. She and her husband decided they wanted to be near the river, and he has family in Clayton County. She worked at the Harpers Ferry Post Office for a while and has worked at 3M for the last three years and is also a freelance photographer doing portraits and small commercial jobs.

She hopes the mural will help others remember good things can happen during unprecedented times.