Murals Depict History and a Texas Way of Life

Many Texas towns have murals that depict a part of their local history. This mural, located in Lampasas, has a very interesting and unique story. Lampasas civic leaders put out a “boot call,” and from that they received over 150 pairs of cowboy boots to photograph. Each pair was photographed portrait-style before eventually being a part of a large group shot taken from above by Kellie Hughes, a local photographer. Volunteers subsequently converted the photo into a computer image with reduced hues and tones, then divided the image into a 75-square grid. Each of those 75 squares measured three feet by three feet, and a color transparency was made for each square so that the images could be traced onto the wall. Volunteers from the community then began painting the mural by using a paint-by-numbers method.

The mural was inspired by local boot legend Ray Jones who once had a five-year waiting list for customers wanting his custom made boots. Photo courtesy of Richard Connell.