Suzanne Stewart
Staff Writer
When Greenbrier Bikes moved to its new location in the former Lucy’s Grocery and Moore on Third Avenue, owner Scott Guyette wanted to brighten the exterior of building with a colorful mural.
That’s when he enlisted the help of muralist Nichole Westfall, of Huntington. Westfall has been a full-time muralist for the past three years and has honed her skill for large art pieces around the state.
“I did an RFP project in Charleston called Gallery 64,” she said. “That was the first mural I did, and I loved it.”
Although she had never been to Marlinton prior to this project, Westfall said she was glad to create a collage of local sites and flora and fauna of the state. Guyette and his wife, Sarah, sent Westfall photos and gave her ideas of places they wanted featured in the mural.
“I did some research around the area, and I chose three plants that are indigenous or native to West Virginia and that is American persimmon, rhododendron and black walnut, for the front,” she said. “They really wanted to have a heron in the river, so that’s on one side and the left side of the building is Droop tunnel and a possum at night.”
While most murals are on one solid wall, this project included two side walls, a piece above the entrance, the portion of the facade around the large picture windows and the awning underpinning.
Westfall said it may seem challenging, but she explained that she sees the mural in pieces instead of as a whole which helps her with the layout.
“In my mind, I flatten everything, so I thought of it as different sections,” she said. “A lot of my work, I cut everything into little sections. I see them in their own different spaces.”
Westfall was joined by her fiancé, Garrett Adkins, who helped her with the protective clear coat for the mural.
