Well-known artist and muralist Bob Dasher didn’t know what he was getting into last summer when he agreed to paint one wall of The Hardwood Lumber Company’s building along the Maple Highlands Trail in Burton Station.
Well-known artist and muralist Bob Dasher didn’t know what he was getting into last summer when he agreed to paint one wall of The Hardwood Lumber Company’s building along the Maple Highlands Trail in Burton Station.
What started Sept. 8 as a short project for the 70-year-old Cleveland native became the largest mural he has painted in his 50 years of colorful creativity.
Dasher and the company’s owner, Steve Trudic, met each other when Julie Pettica, who works at THLC on the Burton Windsor Road, introduced them. Pretty soon, the idea blossomed to cover several buildings that run parallel to the bike trail.
“We said ‘Why not do the whole thing?’” Dasher said during a recent phone interview. “It ended up being the biggest job I’ve ever done.”
The mural spreads out over 150 feet of concrete walls and the three-dimensional forest with rocks and huge trees of untraceable lineage beckons to bike riders as they come into view.
“It stops riders dead in their tracks. They stand in awe,” Pettica said, recalling many hopping off their bikes to chat with Dasher as he worked steadily for 20 days with a paint roller. “It’s whimsical and charming.”
Trudic had an Amish painter put the primer coat on the buildings. Otherwise, to his dismay, Dasher became a one-man show.
When he and Trudic first discussed the mural, Dasher expected his long-time friend and partner, John Beukman, help him.
Beukman, 70, was head porter at the Cleveland Museum of Art and hung all the displays there for years, besides being a recognized artist and illustrator, Dasher said.
They had worked together before and had agreed to do so in September.
But they had just gotten started when Beukman had a minor heart attack and had to give up helping Dasher on that project.
He is, however, continuing with his brilliant icons and smaller pieces in his studio, the muralist said.
Rather than abandon THLC, Dasher decided to go it alone.
Some of the buildings are a couple of stories high. The mural flows over pipes, behind a chain link fence and around corners, appearing to go on forever.
“I can’t do much ladder work any more. It was all brush and roller,” he said. “It was really very challenging. When I was done, I was exhausted.”
Despite a very rainy Labor Day, Dasher had excellent warm, dry weather while he was working and the gigantic trees and rocks he portrayed are not highly detailed, so the huge mural progressed fast for as large as it is, Dasher said.
Many of the smaller murals he has created in churches and restaurants required more meticulous attention, he said
So, how did a famous muralist now living in Georgia wind up painting walls for of buildings shared by THLC, Sheoga Flooring, Mouldings One Inc. and St. Nick Brush?
Pettica had urged Trudic to meet with Dasher, who is the father of one of her good friends.
“Stephen has a very artistic spirit. He loves to bring in the brightest and best local artists in the Cleveland area to spruce up his companies,” she said. “I approached Stephen one day and told him, ‘Bob Dasher is an amazing muralist, put him to use in any way you can imagine.’”
Considering Dasher’s reputation and accomplishments, Trudic approved the idea and called the artist right away.
“Before we knew it, Mr. Dasher made his way from his new home in Georgia to his hometown Cleveland to not only spend time with his grandchildren, but to singlehandedly create this masterpiece,” Pettica said. ”Stephen is extremely excited about this new, beautiful and enchanting addition to his company.”
Dasher signed the mural and is safely back home for the winter.
“I’m in Georgia and, right now, I’m not looking to paint any more giant murals in Ohio,” he quipped.
