Jerry Palen cartoon selected for Public Art Display
The Platte Valley Arts Council (PVAC) is pleased to present amural of the cartoon characters “Flo and Elmo.” This work will be“paint-by-number” style and completed by anyone who would like to help. Students at the local schools will help by mixing colors and labeling the spaces. Everyone is invited to participate, and the dates and times for painting days will beposted on the PVAC Facebook page.
The mural will be painted on the fence around Harmony Park in Encampment and is one of seven new public art displays in the Platte Valley.These pieces feature local artists and include murals and sculptures depicting local life and culture and will be revealed at the Grand Reveal Event on September 3.
Jerry Palen always said he likes what he did, and it showed. His Stampede cartoon series featuring the lovable ranching couple, Flo and Elmo, is the largest weekly syndicated cartoon feature in the agricultural sector of both this country and Canada. The humorous antics of Flo and Elmo reach over two million readers every week.
When he was not drawing the antics of Elmo and Flo, he devoted his passion for his art whether it was cartoons, pen and ink drawings, watercolor painting, oil painting or sculpting. Only a few pieces of his art are available each year because as he put it, "if they don't meet my standards of excellence, then they shouldn't be shoved off on someone else." This scarcity has established a large following of collectors who vie for his work each year.
Jerry has done several monumental bronzes around the state, and the latest one is a seven-foot monument of the Wyoming artist Bill Gollings. This bronze is in front of the Wyoming Arts Council building across the street from the Capitol in Cheyenne.
Prior to Jerry’s death in December, he was collaborating with PVAC on a sculpture project, and they look forward with his wife Ann to finish the plan.
Public Art Funding
Funding for the public art displays comes from grants, business partners, and donations. The Platte Valley Public Art Project is supported in part by grants from the Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund, Bridge Street Bargains, Carbon County Visitors Council, Wyoming Business Council and Wyoming Community Foundation.
Those interested in supporting the public art display projectcan donate on the PVAC Facebook page or at www.PlatteValleyArts.com.
About Platte ValleyArts Council
The Platte Valley Arts Council (PVAC) is a membership-based nonprofit, incorporated in May 1993 to foster awareness and participation inany form of the arts to develop a vibrant and cohesive community. PVAC won the Wyoming Governor’s Art Award in 1997. PVAC demonstrates that art can be a partof our everyday lives.
