CITY OF KATY (Covering Katy News)—Artist and Cinco Ranch native Melissa Neill breathes new life into the once-faded colors of a beloved 20-year-old mural, one of Katy's favorite photo spots for those eager to immortalize special moments.
The mural adorns the eastern wall of the Johnny Nelson Katy Heritage Museum at 6002 George Bush Drive, which is adjacent to Katy Heritage Park and its historic homes, a short distance from the city's downtown.
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Covering Katy, Dennis Spellman
Two if the historic homes at Katy's Heritage Park.
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Covering Katy, Dennis Spellman
Historic Homes at Katy's Heritage Park.
Dayton Wodrich created the original mural depicting Katy's history with a railroad caboose, the downtown water tower emblazoned with the Katy High School Tigers logo, a historic home, and two geese hunters from Katy's agricultural past.
At 88 years old, Wodrich decided it was time for a new artist to restore his original creation, and Neill got to work rejuvenating the mural's colors to their former vibrancy while meticulously eliminating any flaking paint.
"It's just the wear and tear of life," Neill said. "Murals are not ever really that permanent of a fixation. That's kind of their beauty, right? You go, see them, and enjoy them when you get your pictures, and they might not exist after a decade. The mural was over 20 years old. It's seen better days."
Armed with an original photo of the mural in its prime, Neill sought to rejuvenate its colors to their former vibrancy.
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"The colors that were there were not accurate any longer because they were all faded," she said.
The Katy City Council authorized the work in March. Neill finished last week.
Covering Katy, Dennis Spellman
Another view of the mural on the easern wall of the Katy Heritage Museum.
Neill, who was raised in the Katy area and graduated from Cinco Ranch High School, understood the project's importance. She also grew up in a family of artists.
"My dad was an artist," Neill said. "My mom was an artist. I'm a fifth- or sixth-generation artist. I don't think any of us were ever super left-brained, and we kind of bred a bunch of right-brained people. Art was sort of in my bones from the start. I've been painting as long as I can remember. It kind of felt like a natural path to follow that."
Neill said she was grateful her father was an oil painter because exposure to that painting style helped her refurbish the mural.
"It's a little bit like paint by numbers in some areas," she said. Then the rest, you just kind of hope for the best and try to get it as close to its original as you can."
Neill earned a fine arts degree at Stephen F. Austin State University.
"I majored in painting and minored in sculpture, which is sort of like a crazy major that they let people have, but it worked for me," Neill said.
She taught art at St. John XXIII College Preparatory School in Katy after graduation. Then, during the pandemic, she and her family relocated to Brenham, embracing a lifestyle distinct from the suburbs of Katy.
"We were in the 'burbs of Katy, and we decided we needed more chaos in our life, so we moved to the country," Neill said, smiling.
On the day of her interview, she said her chickens had laid eggs, and she and her kids were watching the eggs hatch.
As for the mural, Neill is pleased with the positive reviews she's receiving.
"I think people are just so grateful to breathe more life into the space," Neill said. "Some people, but not all, never really saw it. So now they're kind of seeing it for the first time. They haven't been around for 20 years. I think it's helping people to know that the museum is there."