A new mural adorns the east exterior wall of K-9 Biz in Downtown Dexter. The Dexter Chamber of Commerce, city officials and many others gathered with K-Biz owner Christa Tucker and the artist for a ribbon cutting.
The artist is 2017 Dexter graduate Katie Coleman. This was the first mural painted by the local artist.
“I am extremely pleased,” said Tucker about the mural. “I couldn't have imagined it, the way it turned out.”
Coleman said she took art in all four years during high school. She said she had a teacher that wasn't afraid to tell her she was not doing well. So she worked to improve and after high school attended Three Rivers. Since then she has been doing commission work. This would be her first mural.
Coleman said she wanted to do a mural and a friend put in a good word for her. The chamber knew she was looking for someone to paint a new mural and Coleman wanted to expand her artwork to buildings.
Tucker said the Dexter Chamber put her in contact with Coleman. Tucker said the previous mural, though loved by many residents, had developed multiple issues. Along with the paint peeling, the plaster was starting to fall as well.
Tucker has been in the building as a renter since 2015 but recently purchased the building when it came up for sale.
This meant the wall itself had to be repaired. This required the wall to be sandblasted and the plaster then replaced. Tucker said 3G Solutions did the repair to the wall. Tucker said once the paint was removed the extent of the damage to the wall was revealed. Repairs were made to the wall, around the doors and to the back of the building. The repairs included brick work.
When Coleman and Tucker talked about the mural Tucker said she told Coleman she wanted to pay tribute to K-9s. Coleman came up with the design which Tucker loved.
“They are service dogs in some way shape or form and a few are pets because she (Tucker) wanted to highlight pets too. She (Tucker) wanted to do service dogs and we wanted to do bright colors to get peoples attention,” said Coleman. “I wanted to put Dexter in the middle so if people don't want to take pictures with the dogs, they can take pictures with Dexter in the middle.”
Coleman sketched out the design first and keeps a photo of the sketch on her phone for reference as she works. When she started on the wall, Coleman first drew the mural with a Sharpe Marker. She said she did this so the design would not wash away should it rain. Tucker said they would tell Coleman not to work in the hottest part of the day but Coleman pressed on anyway.
Tucker said the mural is a tribute to working K-9s (search and rescue dogs) and the dogs beloved by so many as pets. Tucker herself owns search and rescue dogs. She and her dogs have accompanied law enforcement many times to assist in the search for individuals who are missing and possibly endangered or injured.
“I have a special place in my heart for the working K-9s, but even pets are just as important as the working dog, so I wanted to pay tribute to them too,” said Tucker. “So with specific dogs I didn't just want any Labs, any German Shepherds, I wanted specific dogs. I never realized how specific she would be with them.”
Since painting the mural in Dexter Coleman has completed another mural in East Prairie. Cole does portraits of dogs, people or whatever her client may want. She can be messaged on Facebook at Katie Coleman or texted at 573-421-6449.
“I knew changing it would affect some people, that is why I wanted to be extremely good, a lot of color and things like that,” said Tucker. “We wanted to add Dexter on there and attribute Dexter. I love being downtown, love it. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else and we wanted to show that.”