Mural Artist Janson Rapisarda makes it sound a lot easier than it actually is.
“I create the design on my computer. A lot of digital drawing and then I will translate that to the wall via projector,” Rapisarda said on his process. “I will take my spray paint and sketch it out with the projector and then after that it’s kind of filling it in color.”
Janson’s blank canvas was The brick wall on the side of Hall Bicycle in downtown Cedar Rapids.
“It can be daunting when you come up to this wall and they are gigantic,” Rapisarda said. “They basically gave me a theme of RAGBRAI.”
I love the imagery in the smiling face and the camaraderie of it,” said Kyle Moscrip, the 4th-generation owner of Hall Bicycle Company.
While Janson was painting the mural, tragedy struck the local cycling community. Former Hall Bicycle employee Scott Devore was killed in car accident. Janson made sure Scott will never be forgotten, writing ‘Scooter Forever’ on the mural.
It took Rapisarda a week and half to finish the mural.