By Melanie Steen
Residents in the Riverbend have enjoyed beautiful murals around town for years, but there is a new mural dotting the local landscape. It’s called the Alton Flyaway.
“I really liked doing this one, it was pleasant to do,” says muralist Robert Fishbone. “Everything about it. The town was very welcoming, which is important.”
Robert Fishbone was responsible to bringing the design of the Alton Flyaway to life, although the actual rendering belongs to James Schmidt, who designed it in 2009.
“My father loved modern design and abstractions,” says Penny Schmidt. “It’s a real reflection of his great vision and his style.”
James Schmidt served as head of the art department at Principia College, in Elsah, Illinois. He passed away in 2013. The school now has an art gallery that bears his name. His daughter Penny owns the building where the Alton Flyway mural soars high, some three stories into the air.
“It’s a lovely tribute to his vision, and also an expression of the community,” says Penny Schmidt. “The river, the uplift of being on the Mississippi flyaway and this community of gulls that is circling around and up into the air.”
“She, I think in her heart knew that she wanted this done someday,” says Robert Fishbone. “And all the right forces came together and she got in touch with me and with the help of the Audubon Society and other donors, we made it happen.”
“This flyaway mural is up to interpretation, but I believe that it’s mostly gulls, terns, and some raptors,” according to Emily Connor with the Audubon Center at Riverlands. “These are a lot of those white birds you might see flying over the river. The region that we live in is an amazing space along the Mississippi River. We’re very lucky to be in this Alton region because we’re really at the center of one of the biggest watersheds in the world.”
It took muralist Robert Fishbone and his two assistants five weeks, and nearly 30 gallons of paint to bring the Alton Flyaway to life.
“The more planning that’s done on any kind of public art project, the smoother it will go,” says Robert Fishbone.
The city of Alton is home to nearly two dozen murals, with each one telling a unique story. Last year, a few of the murals earned Alton Main Street a prestigious award.
“The award that we got from the Lieutenant Governor was for the mini mural grant program that we conducted a couple of years ago,” says Sara McGibany with Alton Main Street. “That resulted in a few of the murals that we are seeing today.”
This includes the ‘Sunset’ mural, the ‘You Are Enough’ mural, and this a mural, which was previously a utility box.
“All the business owners in the vicinity are always really excited,” says McGibany. “Because extra foot traffic always translates into more customers.”
Robert Fishbone and his wife moved to St. Louis in 1973 and launched their company, On the Wall Productions a year later. Fast forward 50 years, he can say he’s produced some 200 murals. And you have probably seen some of his work.
“We did this one of Charles Lindbergh, it was a pixelated image in 1977 and it became this amazing landmark in St. Louis. It was only up for four years,” says Fishbone. “The most recent one my daughter and I did in Clayton was Clayton’s first mural. It’s next to a playground and it features a very large bumblebee on a swing. My daughter did most of the detail, it’s incredible.”
“Everybody loves to see a splash of color,” says Sara McGibany. “Murals are what gives a community its personality.”
Read more about the Alton Flyaway Mural here.
