Ohio County Unveils Vondel Bell-Created America 250 Mural
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WHEELING - Ohio County has unveiled its mural celebrating America 250, and it presently can be seen on the second floor of the City-County Building in Wheeling.
The 6-foot by 6-foot mural, however, can be moved, and could be coming soon to a location near you.
Ohio County Commission President Zach Abraham explained the West Virginia Division of Tourism provided grants to counties interested in commissioning a West Virginia 250 mural for their county. Ohio County received $5,000 for the project, county officials said.
Wheeling artist Vondel Bell was tapped to do Ohio County's mural. He explained the first thing that came to his mind when he set down to sketch out his ideas was the Wheeling Suspension Bridge, which sits at the mural's center.
"It really pops off," he said.
Also included on the mural are notable West Virginia symbols - such as the state animal, the black bear; the state bird, the cardinal; and a filled coal car on a train track.
"I was born and raised here... and I love it," Bell continued.
Abraham added the idea behind the mural was to put it on canvas so that it could be moved to different locations. Initially, the painting will be hung near the elevator doors on the second floor at the City-County Building.
Over time, it will likely be displayed at various places throughout the county - such as The Highlands Sports Center and The Highlands Event Center, he continued.
"The idea from the tourism perspective is they would like for people to go and search for all these different murals in all the different counties," Abraham said. "It's a pretty unique idea. People from all over the state and the country will be seeing your stuff, Vondel. Thank you.
"Check out the rest of the counties for their murals,” Abraham added, “but we think ours is the best."
Bell said it took him just under two weeks to complete the mural once he had the sketch and his ideas set.
He acknowledged the Suspension Bridge section of the mural was the most difficult, as its many lines posed challenges.
And what is his favorite section of the work?
"Everything. I just love painting," Bell said.