Artist worked with business owner
By Holly Neumann
In an effort to brighten Scandinavia, Lisa Shirek, owner of Sliced Pizza, has contracted with Jim Booras to paint a mural on her building.
“I’ve wanted to paint a mural on the garage since I bought the building in 2019,” Shirek said. “Jim and I have worked on this idea for a year. I wanted the mural to reflect some Scandinavian folklore and highlight the beautiful stone bridge that crosses the Little Wolf River behind us.”
A native of Oshkosh, Booras has an art degree from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh.
“I had my first cartoon published around age 8 in a Methodist newsletter that my mom produced,” he said. “In high school and college, I was a cartoonist for the school newspapers.”
After college, Booras had a long career as a graphic artist and illustrator and has lived all across America and abroad.
“Since retirement in 2017, I’ve done more serious art, painting landscapes and portraits with oils, acrylics and watercolors,” he said. “I’ve been a caricature artist at many events plus chalk walks and murals.”
Artists help make the world a better place, according to Booras.
“Artists share the beauty we see for others to appreciate,” he said. “Art and the joy it brings will outlive the artist.”
Although he doesn’t have a favorite medium to use, Booras said he loves a great mural.
“I’ve done many murals, interior and exterior, large and small,” he said. “It feels great to leave a little bit of myself stuck to a wall somewhere for people to view for many years.”
Shirek’s notion was to create a cartoon-like picture with a stone bridge and trolls living under it.
“That gave me the inspiration to paint a fantasy landscape with the bridge, adding several trolls and fairies, etc., having fun,” Booras said.
Weather permitting, his plan is to prime” the wall July 17–18. Then, he will lay out a grid with chalk and commence drawing the entire design.
He estimated it will take at least seven full days to complete before a clear protective coating is applied.
Art for all ages
“People of all ages will get a kick out of discovering all the fun characters flying through the air, lurking in the bushes, going about their fantasy lives in this colorful cartoon world,” he said.
“The mural will be playful, bright and tell a little story,” Shirek said. “We really hope people enjoy seeing all the things going on in the mural itself as well as our beautiful little village.”
Booras believes his talents are a blessing.
“There’s a driving force inside me that compels me to share the beauty I see all around me,” he said. “The joy that art brings is in the experience and memories.”
He said he’s looking forward to completing the project.
“It’s going to take a lot of work and many hours, but it will be beautiful,” he said. “I am flattered to have my design accepted for this wall.
“Lisa had a great idea, I just ran with it,” he said. “It would be wonderful if future visitors would send me their selfies frolicking with the trolls.”