Millikin studio art graduate creates city mural
Decatur, Ill., native and 2014 Millikin University alumnus Eric Weatherford has begun work on what will be the second of three murals painted as part of the Decatur Mural Project. The mural will be going up at the 100 block of S. Oakland Ave in the Oakwood neighborhood near Millikin University's campus.
The Millikin graduate describes his design as an attempt to capture the essence of Oakwood "where friends and family come together to enjoy good food, great drinks and even better music, and break away from the daily grind." The mural will be located on the west wall of Garcia's Pizza and is scheduled to be completed after Aug. 3.
The new mural will feature a person with a computer monitor for a head free-falling through a world of 3D shapes. It will replace the temporary collage mural done by Ron English in 2011.
Weatherford said the inspiration for his mural simply came to him. "I think of it, and I just go with it," Weatherford said in a recent interview with the Herald & Review.
While at Millikin, Weatherford majored in studio art and worked with many different forms of media including graphite, ink, charcoal, colored pencils, chalk, paint and computer design. Weatherford describes himself as being a keen observer with a great eye for details who also has the ability to adapt to any media and still be able to transfer exactly what he sees, and what he creates in his mind successfully onto paper.
Weatherford received the Dorothy Sellers Art Award at Millikin's 2014 Distinguished Faculty Lecture and Honors Convocation.
In an article from the Decaturian, Millikin's student-run newspaper, Weatherford said he hoped to become more involved in the art community and acquire the knowledge and skills of the multitude of techniques used when creating art.
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