The Downtown Mural Project

Beginning with the renovation of J. A. Orr Park in 2017, we dreamed of putting a mural on the wall of Sunshine City, behind the small pocket park on Musgrove Street. In the spring of 2018, artists were invited to come, consult, and submit ideas for the wall. Local artist Janette Marvin was chosen to create a greenspace scene that picks up on the pocket park and expands on the theme of parks and trails.  Anne Lane, local artist and art teacher, signed on to assist. With permission from building owners, Ashley and Barry Martin, and design in hand, Clinton Canopy received the “go-ahead” from the city’s Design Review Board.  Funding for this project was jumpstarted in 2019 by a $1000 grant from Laurens Electric Cooperative and supplemented by a $250 grant from Rotary Club of Clinton.  A community fundraiser at Jitters in August helped raise the remaining funds to complete the mural.

Work on this 20’ x 80’ mural began in July 2019 and concluded in late October. 

The Artist:

janette Marvin

Muralist Janette Marvin grew up in Northeast Brazil which influenced her style of work. She came to the U.S. to complete her formal art education and begin her professional art career.  Marvin has been painting murals for 35 years in different states including a show house in Georgia.  Since 1993, Janette has lived in Clinton, SC, while continuing her work with designers, gallery managers, and homeowners, painting various subjects on any surface. She has painted murals in other towns in South Carolina including Greer Middle School and several in Hilton Head. Locally, she has completed murals in many homes in Laurens, the Pediatric Wing of Laurens County Hospital, Laurens Middle School, and former Bailey Manor. Marvin is also well known for her oil paintings on canvas having sold thousands of original paintings in her career. Her canvas works appear in collections around the United States, Brazil, and Europe. Some of her work can be viewed at the permanent art installation at Piedmont Technical College.  The Mural on Musgrove is her first largescale outdoor mural. For more information, go to www.JanetteMarvinStudio.com

The Assistants

Anne Lane

Painter and sculptor Anne Lane lives and works in Upstate South Carolina. When painting, she uses watercolor, gouache, and oil to capture the landscapes and coastal scenes of the South. Anne teaches art at Eastside Elementary School in Clinton.  This is her first time assisting on a mural.

Family Recruits

Whether holding a ladder, adding variegation to a shrub, or modeling, family members are routinely called upon to lend a hand with large projects, and the Mural on Musgrove was no exception. Janette Marvin’s husband, Joe Lee, could be seen most weekends steadying the ladder while Janette was 15-20 feet up painting the sky. Son Michael Lee found himself on the roof helping to paint the uppermost reaches. Daughter Kathryn Lee could be seen at times painting background or modeling while her brother Nathan Lee might be posing to help his mother get shadow placement just right.  Jobs big and small, too numerous to name, all contributed to the success of the project.

Community

Ideas for many of the features in the mural came from people on the street who stopped and engaged the artist. Teachers suggested wildlife for science classes. Bystanders became models. The project itself sparked new ideas as the community watched and participated in dialog with the working artist. Janette thoroughly enjoyed the dynamic interaction while working on this mural.