Muralist Automne Mosher tells the lively story of alcohol’s history in her latest creation on the Cork-n-Bottle liquor store in Cortez.
“I’ve always wanted to do a mural in Cortez because I’m from here,” Mosher said. “The owner said she wanted something different than just a pretty scene, so I came up with a more historical context.”
The mural depicts characters and innovators in the alcohol trade, including Jose Cuervo, Jack Daniels, and Arthur Guinness. Mosher said it was especially fun to paint Carrie Nation, an ardent Prohibitionist.
“She used to go to bars and chop them down with an axe while holding a Bible,” she said.
Muralists use the grid technique to transfer an image from a sketch to a large wall. The illustration is put on a paper grid with one inch equalling one foot on the wall, for example. The artist then concentrates on painting each square foot rather than trying to create the entire piece visually.
“That is difficult because you are so close and the image is so large,” Mosher explains. “Gridding ensures everything is in proper proportion.”
Mosher, 24, credits her Montezuma-Cortez High School art teachers, Kim Sheek and Deb Harriman, for encouraging her to become an artist.
Now she lives in Portland, Oregon, and paints murals for a living. She has completed 10 murals so far, and is especially proud of her unique Cortez contribution.
“It’s far weirder than anything else seen in town,” she said. “It stands out and has a good sense of humor to it.”
Her friend Arica Dean assisted with the mural.
