PUBLISHED DECEMBER 1
By Abigail Allen Editor & Publisher
A call for artists brought Odessa Helm to Aubrey.
Her vision has brought public art capturing the town’s history to life on the side of the white building that houses both the Aubrey Municipal Development District and the Aubrey 380 Area Chamber of Commerce.
“Something I really love is the small-town heritage, historic [components] you can add in, so I love getting to mix in the historic things with the peanut dryer and then down there we have the historic photo from the railroad of the men sitting on the station waiting for their train to come.”
She loves adding a modern pop and twist, too, which is reflected in the lettering.
Her overall style is to use color blocking, not a photo-realistic style, on the figures included in the painting.
“This main road over here [Sherman Drive], you can see the wall when you’re driving by and it’s still super readable from far away, but it also does well when you get up close, too.”
While working on the project, Odessa, her husband Hayden Helm and their 7-week-old Soul Helm stayed within walking distance of the mural.
“This is my first project back,” she said. “… It’s been the best project to come back to with the weather and how good the texture of the wall is. It’s on the ground. All of that makes it the best project to come back with.”
Odessa’s mother-in-law, Jenny Emerson, actively helped Odessa block out areas of the mural as well to speed the process along.
“She knew, especially with having the baby, that I didn’t want to be away as long as possible,” Odessa said. “… The best human ever, and she’s good at painting, so it works out.”
Odessa, who has been a fulltime artist for three years and has painted murals for four, felt she “clicked with it immediately” on discovering the Aubrey mural opportunity.
The piece also incorporates the red Elm Fork Bridge west of town, horses running in a field, a bald eagle and cattle—all nods to life in Aubrey.
“It’s all a great representation of Aubrey,” Aubrey Municipal Development District President Holly Drew said. “It reminds us of our roots. … It’s awesome to see a little bit of everything so we kind of have a reminder of where we came from.”
Drew added that she was grateful for all of the artists who submitted proposals because there were several appealing options.
Odessa began painting Oct. 3, applying sonia rose and sky blue and other background touches.
She continued to paint through Monday, including throughout the Aubrey Peanut Festival.
“I’ve had a lot of people stop by and chitchat, so it’s been fun,” Odessa said.
As Jana Temple, the executive director of the Aubrey 380 Area Chamber of Commerce, was heading out from the event late on Saturday afternoon, she peeked at the mural in progress.
“I know she’s been working on it all day, so I wanted to come see how far she’s come on it,” she said. “It looks so good. … It’s going to definitely brighten up [downtown].”
Aubrey MDD Executive Director Christine Gossett said Odessa has been easy to work with and that Gossett is thrilled with the way the piece looks and the way she captured the community in it.
“My vision in my mind of Aubrey is always those wonderful sunsets that we have, especially right off downtown,” she said. “… She really nailed it in this mural.”
The mural, which the MDD has funded, can change slightly up to the moment it is completed, Odessa said.
Although the process can be overwhelming to a beginner, but it’s more forgiving than it seems.
“Paint covers paint,” she said. “You’re not going to mess up.”
