City resident Karen Richards has a special appreciation for first responders, and in recent months, she has put her artistic talents to work to create a mural in her backyard to express her appreciation to those who step up to serve their community.
“They’re always in the background and ready to help us,” Richards said from at her 517 E. Brown Ave property. “I wanted to create this piece as a way to say ‘thank you’ to those first responders who deserve to be in the spotlight a little more.”
Toward the end of July, Richards set off to work on the mural on her shed. About a month and a half later, she completed a colorful and intricate piece, which features a lively turn-of-the century cityscape and a horse-drawn fire engine, with firefighters rushing to the scene of a fire.
“It’s not any town in particular, but I wanted it to feel like it could be anywhere,” she said of the piece that faces east Brown Avenue and can be seen from the roadway.
At the top of the piece along the trim are the words, “Thank you all first responders.”
News about the new mural got around to the mayor’s office, and Bellefontaine Mayor Ben Stahler stopped out recently to check out the piece.
“Oftentimes, we have grand celebrations for large-scale works of art in public places, but I also find it fun to find these hidden gems, which are also worthy of celebration. I appreciate Karen’s artistic vision to bring this mural to life.
“Our first responders aren’t thanked often enough, and it’s nice to see this type of kind gesture from a community member reaching out to them.”
A former resident of Strongsville, the mural artist said she moved to Bellefontaine several years ago to be closer to her family in Marysville. Soon after moving here, she was impressed with a police officer who went out of his way to help her on a particularly difficult day.
The officer responded to her neighborhood on a report of a canine that was running loose. That same dog also had killed a beloved neighborhood cat whom Richards was caring for.
“The officer helped me bury the cat that day,” she said. “He didn’t have to do that. I’ll never forget his kindness. It gave me a good feeling about this new town that I had moved to.”
Richards said she also experienced the kind actions of first responders when she previously worked as a nurse in her younger years.
She related that her Heavenly Father provided inspiration throughout the painting process this summer, similar to the way she has felt God’s hand when creating at least three other murals in her Bellefontaine backyard.
“I felt His nudge through all of this,” she said. “He directed me through each of these murals.
“God gave me this talent, and it would be silly of me not to use to help bring some happiness to others. I feel like He helps me sometimes when I’m struggling in the painting and gives me ideas and inspiration.”
During quarantine times of 2020, Richards painted an idyllic waterfall scene toward the rear of her property so that it could be enjoyed by her neighbors in an apartment complex, and also other joggers and passersby, as detailed in a previous Examiner story. An autumn countryside is featured along another side of the shed, along with a space-themed mural she painted with her grandson, paying homage to Richards’ previous work for NASA.
Her neighbors have helped to keep the project costs low by suppling her with leftover paint from projects, along with her fellow church members at the Bellefontaine First United Methodist Church, who were generous in their paint donations as well. Richards also likes to purchase sample $1 “mistint” paints from area stores.
The active Logan County Friendly Senior Center member related that she first started drawing at a very young age, including drawing “lots of horses,” one of her favorite animals, and also focused on art classes in high school. While she took one art class in college, painting and art became another hobby for her over the years while she pursued nursing, working for NASA and also serving as a school bus driver.
“I’ve enjoyed doing paintings for others, some by special request, and it is so neat when you make something for them that brings them joy and they display your work inside their home,” she said.
Richards invites area residents to stop by to check out the First Responder mural, with many small details like flowers, storefronts, people and animals that “pop” as you get closer to the piece. She also welcomes others to contact her if they are interested in painting a mural on their properties.