GRANTS, NM – Artist James Emory has joined the Main Street Project in their current endeavor to paint a mural on three of the buildings in Grants.
The project received initial funding from Walmart as a $4000 grant. Other generous donations have been received, giving life to the project.
The first building to be brightened by Emory is the 1912 Market on Santa Fe Avenue. Other businesses in the town are interested in having the artist brighten their location with color and creative imagery.
Emory began his career in Florida but is now a New Mexico resident. He lives a rural life with his wife and children. New Mexico seems to be the perfect place to unleash the artist’s avalanche of ideas.
Emory’s brother, also an artist, will be flying in from Florida to assist him with his mural for the 1912 Market. The two share an upbringing filled with creative influences that have evolved to an impressively dynamic style.
Emory is a promoter of the Neo-Renaissance movement. That is an interest in the revival of the art and architecture of the Renaissance period. Two characteristics of this movement you can easily see in Emory’s paintings are: his use of rich colors and textures, making his work visually appealing and having an appearance of realism; harmony and balance that reflect the classical ideals of proportion and symmetry.
He has combined this with an influence from the Ethereal Movement allowing the artist to develop his own vision of self-expression.
The definition of ethereal is – “extremely delicate and light in a way that seems too perfect for this world; heavenly or spiritual.” Some artists work in this way, allowing their sensibilities to guide them in texture, light, and form.
Bobbie Branum, owner of the 1912 Market, expressed her excitement over the project. William Yarborough, former Vice-President of the Main Street Project, initiated the mural program. His successor, Denise Hanson, discovered the plan and brought it back to life.
Work on the 1912 Market will begin Monday, August 12, with a projected deadline of August 15, 2024. The second location chosen will be the building adjacent to Lange Insurance. The third location has not yet been chosen, but local businesses are “eager to participate” according to Hanson.
The Main Street Project Board of Directors will decide how and whether this program will expand.