A new gallery is popping up in Fort Worth, and it's the location for the new paintings that make it something good.
"It's a good project. It's good for Fort Worth," said artist Mike Tabor of Granbury on Monday as he painted a mural on a concrete sculpture along the Trinity River.
Tabor is one of the artists commissioned by the Tarrant Regional Water District to paint murals along more than 12 miles of the river.
The 25 murals from artists around the state and country make up Painting the River: A Trinity Trails Mural Gallery.
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"I was tickled to do it and I wanted to be part of it but some of these structures, I didn't want to work on. Some of them are extremely tall. And, heck, I'm 65 years old, too old to be falling but this one, I thought was a good size and a good location and it's turned out to be a lot of fun," Tabor said.
Mike Tabor's son inspired his mural. Ben Tabor is a fly fishing guru and owns a company to help others who share his passion for the sport.
"Love it! I absolutely love it. And I'm proud to get to work on it. And I'm kinda excited to see what it all turns into when it's done," said Ben Tabor as he painted alongside his dad.
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The mural shows a fisherman in a cowboy hat with pastel colors all around him.
"I'm usually a bigger and brighter painter," Mike Tabor said as he dipped his brush into a cup of soft turquoise-colored paint. "The pastels just felt, maybe it's the river, more calming and not in your face, nothing harmful's gonna happen. It's all peaceful and tranquil."
The project started in October 2020. Tabor is one of five remaining artists to complete a mural. Three others are underway. One will begin next week. All are slated to be completed in time for a gallery exhibit at Studio 101 Gallery and Gatherings, 101 Nursery Lane, March 27 - June 12.
"We are excited about the opportunity to showcase artistic photographs of all of the murals in one place," said Valerie Jay with the TRWD.
All told, the entire project is budgeted at $100,000. Based on the size of the structure, Individual artist fees ranged between $3,000 - $6,000.
