Come and Paint It

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Downtown building owner John Tinsley had spent a lot of time and money to update his building on St. Francis Street, situated between St. Joseph and St. Paul, but his efforts didn’t stop with the storefront or the interior. Tinsley has commissioned an artist to paint a mural behind the building and in the adjacent alleyway.

Joshua Farrell, an artist and designer from Luling, has taken on the job and paid much attention to detail and design by incorporating Tinsley's family history and staying true to Gonzales history as well.

"It has been interesting incorporating history with art," Farrell said. "Mr. Tinsley has a lot of great stories about his family and about Gonzales."

As one enters the alleyway the first visible art is to the left, where Farrell has painted the corner to look like an old barn.

"This was a daunting task and not the easiest canvas to work on," Farrell said of the corrugated metal walls. "There are a lot of imperfections in the metal and I just worked them into the piece."

Farrell went the extra mile with his artistry on the corner wall and fabricated a large metal cupola and weathervane, to commemorate the Tinsley family's weathervane, which was donated to the city and now sits atop Gonzales Fire Department.

Another historical feature of the mural is a portrait of Tinsley's maternal grandfather in mount on his horse, with a Colt 45 pistol in his waistband. This portion of the mural is set inside a large metal frame Farrell fabricated, which sits at an angle and appears to pop through the roof of the little shed it is "hung" upon.

"It was important to Mr. Tinsley to incorporate his grandfather in this project. I sketched and painted it from an old photograph and thought the frame would be a unique addition."

The largest portion of the mural is a train loaded with an overblown depiction of Gonzales' famous cannon bearing the famous Come and Take It battle cry.

"I made the cannon oversized because it is a huge part of Gonzales history," Farrell said. "That little cannon and Come and Take It are both known around the world."

Farrell has taken care to add details. In addition to the fabricated pieces, the work incorporates smaller 3-D elements, and little tidbits of metal and wood here and there for added effect.

"I wanted people to stop and look – and look again," Farrell said. "I hope each time someone sees this, they find something they had not noticed before."

Farrell has his shop and gallery in the old Nehi Bottling Plant in Luling. He bought the old stone building in 2007 and has nearly completely renovated it, complete with new windows, awnings and many artistic elements. Farrell is currently adding an apartment.

Luling is home to another of Farrell's murals. The "Welcome to Luling" mural features an old truck driving down a street loaded down with watermelons.

Farrell does more than draw, paint and fabricate; he turns old objects into art. While renovating his building he used the old elevator parts to create a massive wall sculpture. And if art wasn't enough, he works in construction on the side and is currently working on a huge project in Austin.

Farrell’s gallery is full of unique works of metal, sketched, painted and sculpted art. It is all truly a sight to behold.

For more information on the artist visit www.jfarrellart.com. To schedule a gallery visit or commission a piece of art email Farrell at triplejjjwelding@gmail.com or call 512-738-1944.

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