Daily Nonpareil Council Bluffs IA Aug 19th 2004 Persia man creates 'Heritage Mural' at church Tom McMahon, Staff Writer PERSIA - As a boy, Mike Wilson remembers drawing pictures in a back pew of the Trinity Lutheran Church. Even then, he had an artist's mind. Different colored wood grains in a church door created a Grim Reaper image - some in the back of the altar, two men's heads. "I visualized 12 heads across the back of the altar to represent the apostles," he said. Sunday, Wilson will unveil a 3-year labor of love, faith and growth at that same church. His "Heritage Mural," a gift to Trinity, is a 3-piece mural portraying his, and his Church's religious history. Advertisement The 3-by-5-foot canvases, now hanging from the church balcony, just above the pew where Wilson's faith and art first merged, depict Biblical characters from Adam to Saints Peter and Paul, as well as figures instrumental in Lutheran Church formation. While the acrylic painting is visually stunning, it is, for Wilson, much more than characters on canvas. The artist stands in the center of Trinity's altar, directly facing his mural. Behind him, adorning the wall in back of the altar, is a large wooden cross. Above his painting and the balcony, on the opposite end of the church, is another cross - this one clear glass, a see-through, window-like structure. "Look straight ahead," the enthusiastic Wilson says. "See the nose of the lamb in the picture? It is on a direct line with the two crosses. The lamb represents Christ." Wilson, who works as a graphic artist for Woodmen of the World, said the mural has been a religious experience. "I learned so much about the Church fathers," he said. John Wycliffe, William Tyndale, Martin Luther, C.F. Walther, and Pastor C.A. Krog, who first brought Lutheran services to Persia, all made the mural. The Lutheran icons are the painting's final figures, following Old and New Testament characters. Among other things, Wilson's work is a chronological history of the Bible and his church. "The most challenging task of the project was deciding what character would represent the various Bible sections," Wilson said. "I read overviews of each Bible book, books on Christian fathers and books on how the Bible was translated." Wilson said he sifted all the information through his goal, which is to show the Bible's focus on Christ and Christ's focus on his people - in this case, the Trinity congregation. In addition to the Lutheran Church fathers and the lamb, Wilson chose Adam and Eve and their son, Seth, and Abraham and Isaac, all representing Old Testament history; David, representing the Bible's poetry section; Isaiah and Malachi, the prophets; New Testament history figures, John the Baptist, Mary holding the baby Jesus, the gospel writers, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, and Mary Magdelene; letter writers Peter and Paul; and Augustine, who is considered the founder of formalized Christian theology. "All the characters face the lamb, who is Jesus," Wilson said. The artist said he also wanted to convey that the mural's images were real, everyday people. "Michelangelo's David is hardly what most of us look like," Wilson said. He asked Trinity members to pose in costumes rented from the Rose Theater in Omaha, and they "became" the painting's models. "Abraham and Isaac are a Trinity father and son - Isaac cuts the church's grass. Moses is an 80-year-old congregation member. Wilson's son was the model for David." Wilson said he took photographs of each model to use in the design sketch. It was one of the most enjoyable parts of what, he said, is often lonely work. "My wife, Denise, helped organize it and got all the costumes together. It is like a cake recipe. If all the ingredients are right, you will get a great cake." Wilson said he took the photos and made a pencil drawing of each of the three canvases. He considered questions - "what color were Adam's eyes, how long was his hair? I had a lot to figure out," Wilson said. "It made me realize all God did in creating the universe. Did He think, 'How do I make the grass grow?" For Wilson, it was not just a matter of sitting down, pulling out the paints and brushes and creating images. He poured over books, trying to make sure he had it right. "I took a day off work and went to the Joslyn and looked at pictures of Native American Indians," Wilson said, after he decided he wanted Adam and Eve to resemble those who lived in Iowa. It wasn't enough to just draw David. "I wanted him to represent the poetry section of the Bible. Most times he is portrayed as king, but I decided to paint him playing the harp. I researched it to find out how harps looked then and how they held them." Wilson said it took three years from design to the finished product - he began the actual painting on New Years, 2004. "I did most of it on nights and weekends and some of it at the church. I thought it would be a blast to actually paint in the church," Wilson said, reminiscent of Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel. The artist does not accept credit for his design, which has meaning on so many levels. "It is not my design, it's God's. I just held the paintbrush." Wilson's testament of faith and art will be unveiled this Sunday at 8:30 a.m. at the Trinity Church. "It has been hanging up for a while but I had it covered with blankets," he said. He is excited to share the work with his church family. "The mural is a thank you to all the members. The people who I've seen every week since I was a kid." Some of those members may remember young Mike Wilson, drawing pictures in the back pew.