Local artists paint power boxes
Community project in Clintonville
By Bert Lehman
The Pigeon River Artists have painted two electrical boxes in the city of Clintonville.
The illustrations feature universal activities.
“These paintings are something that are cheerful, something different,” said Jay Hornung, a member of Pigeon River Artists.
He said the group wanted the electrical boxes in Clintonville to “stand-out” when compared to neighboring communities.
“The reason I submitted the illustrations that I did for the boxes, was it was something that was universal themed,” Hornung said. “Something that everybody can relate to. It’s timeless. Taking a look at things that everybody enjoys. Things that are done within the community.”
The illustrations boxes feature characters of animals doing such things as sitting around a campfire and roasting marshmallows.
The group became involved in the project after one of its members was approached by a woman whose husband is on the Clintonville City Council.
“The group wanted to get involved in something it could do for the community to help bring cheer and beautify the community,” Hornung said.
Mary Wais, secretary for Pigeon River Artists, said the group was established around 15 years ago by a small number of people. The group currently has around 20 members.
So far, the group has painted two electrical boxes. Every member of the group participated in the electrical box painting project at some level.
60 hours per box
The first electrical box the group painted, which is located on Main Street across from Walgreens, has at least 60 hours of work in it.
“There’s 40 hours behind the scenes, and 20 hours of actual work on the boxes,” Hornung said. “Pretty much each box has six base colors and everything is mixed off that.”
The second electrical box, which is located on East Madison Street, across from Kwik Trip, has a similar number of hours spent creating the illustration and painting it on the electrical box.
Hornung said the group has received a lot of positive feedback about the painted electrical boxes.
“Hearing from the people talking about it and how much they like it, that’s motivation,” Hornung said.
He added, “I want to thank the art group for all the work and all the help that everybody put into it. Additionally, to thank the private donor who donated the money. Thank the city who allowed us to (do this project) and approved the concepts for the boxes, and the continuation to keep doing this moving forward.”
The anonymous donation covered all the expenses of the project.
The group is currently working on plans for painting a third electrical box in Clintonville. This one would be located in the Erickson’s Pharmacy plaza. Wais said the group is researching ideas and concepts for that project.
