Finishing Touches Being Laid Down on New St. Cloud Downtown Mural

(KNSI) – The newest mural in downtown St. Cloud is almost complete. Artist Tara Aiken and her cherry picker have become a familiar sight along the corner of 7th Avenue North and West St. Germain this month as she puts up a large postcard-style painting on the outside of the building that housed Security Coin and Pawn for nearly 30 years.

When the site was sold, the new owner and the Greater St. Cloud Development Corporation began the work to add color to the spot. Aiken tells KNSI Radio she had a lot to consider when designing the piece. “So, you had to see the brick of the building, the architecture, style of architecture, and the colors around. People are gonna see this from across the street. They’re gonna see everything around it. So, I take that into effect. The brick is yellow. There is no yellow in this design.”

Aiken reveals what she values most in the painting. “My favorite, favorite part is the historic St Cloud sign. That was shared as a photo in one of our design sessions, and it really just stood out.”

The design phase lasted for most of the month of August. Aiken has been hard at work in September, with progress buoyed by a stretch of relatively dry, warm weather. Blue is a big part of the mural as it represents city branding and the Mississippi River. Landmarks like the Paramount Theatre marquee are also included.

Aiken says she has received a ton of thumbs-ups and thank-yous from people as they drive or walk by while she has been hard at work.

___