FLASH FIRED

The Blade Empire / March 7th , 2008 Flash Fired

A portion of the whole wall, depicting sunflowers, has been flash fired, and is at Cloud Ceramics, awaitingtransport to the Cloud County Historical Museum Annex. Catharine Magel and her assistant, Mara smith,are nearly finished carving the 140 foot long brick mural. ( Blade photo by Jessica LeDuc)

Sculpting of the Whole Wall nearing completion

Completion date for the Whole Wall Project in Concordia is set for April 5. The wall will be a three dimensional 140 foot longby approximately 20 foot high sculpted brick mural covering The Cloud County Historical Museum Annex East exterior wall which faces highway 81.The mural depicts key development events and rural cultural elements of Cloud County’s history from the founding in the 1860s to the present day.The artist, Catharine Magel and her assistant, Mara Smith, will be sculpting at the Cloud County Community College Art room March 10-14, March 17- 22, and March 31-April 5.Bricks for the wall are being flash fired at Cloud Ceramics. Ben Retter, assistant general manager said, throughout the whole wall project, Cloud Ceramics has continuously searched for opportunities to create a finished product with more than just curb appeal.“ This ‘WOW’ factor is primarily influenced by the incredible detail in the sculpting done by Catharine and her team.” Retter said, “ However after reviewing the mural brick that have been fired thus far, we felt that we could contribute substantially to the finished look of the wall by incorporating sheen and luster with the mural brick. Reduction firing or “flashing” these bricks will deepen the color and bring out the luster and sheen that complements the depth and detail of the carved bricks themselves. Many Smaller brick sculptures and carvings use flashed brickcolors for this very reason. This process will not have any impact on the timeline for the project and will result in an even more impressive” Whole Wall”.