Page 43 - South Mississippi Living - November, 2018

put in a swamp, and added bird life, a large alligator in the center with a train nearby and even a derelict railroad crossing sign half submerged in water. When it came to actually painting the mural, Prisk realized he needed help.
“I knew Chris had painted murals, and I had done everything but a mural. If you make a wrong choice on something that is 85-feet long, you are in a bind,” he said. “I got Chris to come help me, and we ended up having a great time.”
Stebly, the grandson of Walter Inglis Anderson, draws his inspiration from an intimate knowledge of the natural world, particularly the flora, fauna, landscapes and seascapes.
“I agreed to help him as long as he stuck to the original design — it was delightful,” Stebly said.
The two artists worked on the mural for three weeks in July with Nash bringing them food and refreshments as well as picking up a brush and painting in a few places.
“Not only was it hot as Hades, the museum is located near the airport where big planes take off, roaring over your head like they were going to crash, and breaking my concentration,” Stebly said.
After carefully prepping the wood, they used a quality exterior latex paint. Whenever they came to an impasse over colors, Stebly said Prisk had his computer skills to get them through it.
“To have Ben and his technology was great. There was one huge moment that he worked on his computer, and it totally opened doors for us to continue,” Stebly said.
Prisk said he depended on Stebly’s formal training as an artist to get them both through the large project.
“We learned from each other. I can’t thank Chris enough for joining me on this project,” Prisk said.
Stebly said he had never collaborated with another artist before on such a large project. “Ben was easy to be around. I’d ask him questions, and we never really argued,” he said. “We were friends before, but this made our friendship stronger.”
Ben Prisk
Chris Stebly
The Museum is the home of the largest LEGO railroad display in Mississippi and multiple scale model train layouts.
Mississippi Coast Model Railroad Museum
504 Pass Rd, Gulfport 228.284.5731 www.mcmrcm.org
The swamp train mural
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