G.M. Grant paints 1,000-square-foot image to illustrate area’s ‘adventures’
By Randy Arrington
LURAY, July 10 — In a little more than a month, local artist G.M. Grant poured 360 hours of creative labor into a 1,000-square-foot mural downtown designed to display “Dreams of Luray.”
“I believe we have a little slice of heaven on Earth right here, and sometimes it surprises me that local folks don’t always seem to fully appreciate that because they are so accustomed to it,” Grant said. “I being somebody from somewhere else, kind of look at it with different eyes and can really see what is the value for people, especially people who visit here for the first time.”
Earlier this year, the Florida native sat down to discuss the vision for the mural with Susan Corbett, who purchased the former “Cody building” from Gwynn Cody in 2023. Corbett had contacted the artist who painted the previous mural on the building to see if he wanted to “spruce it up,” but that individual showed no interest in refreshing their work, she said. So, she challenged Grant to come up with a design that “represents everything that’s great about this community.”
Grant began the project on June 6 — sometimes putting in 18-hour days — and completed the mural by July 10. His concept included a sleeping child who dreams of hiking trails in Shenandoah National Park, kayaking the fabled Shenandoah River, fishing in Hawksbill Creek, exploring Luray Caverns, listening to the 47 bells of the carillon in the Singing Tower, enjoying mountain views of the Massanutten or the Blue Ridge, and cherishing the agricultural roots of the rural, farming community.
“The sleeping girl in this kind of represents to me that childhood view of going to a place that you’re just excited about and you haven’t discovered yet, and the possibilities are incredible,” the artist said. “You may have heard about a few things and those things inhabit your imagination…and I love imagination.”
Grant also acknowledges that the dreaming girl also plays off the meaning of the Native American term “Shenandoah” — the Daughter of the Stars.
The Luray artist claims no formal training and is “mostly self-taught after dabbling all my life.” He earned a living in journalism for a few years in places like Maine and New York, before writing for video, producing and directing projects for clients like Raytheon, Marriott International and Disney.
So, with no formal training, how does one start painting a 1,000-square-foot mural? A typical draftsman grid? Not quite. Instead, Grant used a modern method called a “doodle grid.”
“I think if I could go back on anything on this project, I would have prepared the town better that the first thing that you are going to see when this project starts is a whole bunch of gibberish up on the wall,” Grant said, “and it’s going to look like a graffiti artist went insane.”
“But they are just random doodles, they don’t mean anything,” the artist continued. “That’s a base picture that I take and then I composite my conceptual artwork on top of that in a transparency, so when I put those two together, that gives me a roadmap… When you are standing right in front of it, you can lose perspective instantly.”
Luray now has about 15 murals spread throughout town. The Tree and Beautification Committee is currently in the process of updating their “mural handbook,” according to member Katie Sokol. While some murals have been removed or painted over through the years, some dating back nearly a decade or more are in need of restoration or “touching up,” she says. A smaller nearby mural (in the curve adjacent to Trackside Theater) was painted by a fifth-grade art class at Luray Elementary. However, Sokol feels that Grant’s recently completed work will serve as a centerpiece that may inspire more murals in the future.
“They offer such a wide range of beauty and people are really entranced by them, especially this new one,” she said. “When they come into town, it’s the first thing they are going to see if they are coming in this end of town…it’s just a beautiful gateway to the town. I think it’s fantastic, and we’re always looking for new artists and new opportunities.”
In addition to Corbett commissioning the artwork, each mural must be approved by the town’s Tree and Beautification Committee.
This is the second mural that Corbett has commissioned in downtown, with the first being placed on the east side of the building she purchased right across the gravel parking lot from the former Cody building. That mural highlights a pocket park near the railroad tracks on East Main Street.
“That mural represents the diversity of people who have populated Page County for hundreds and hundreds of years,” Corbett said. “So I wanted this one to kind of symbolize the diversity of our beautiful town and county. I wanted something that would show all the things that we love here, all the features that are important to us.”
Grant is now working with the property owner to develop a concept for another artistic creation on the front of the Cody building. However, Corbett acknowledges that after a previous plan to locate a cidery there unraveled, there are no current interests looking to occupy the two-story building, which she says contains a three-bedroom furnished apartment upstairs.
“That remains to be seen,” she said. “I want this building to be really special. Inside, I’m still working on it. I’m just going to create this amazing building and see what comes forward.”
Will she commission more murals in the future?
“If I get another building, I will,” Corbett said.
Despite the long days in the summer sun, Grant said he enjoyed the month-long process, especially when a professional artist working in the national park stopped by to compliment his concept and design.
“I’ve been astounded by the number of people just stopping by and talking to me and offering comments,” Grant said. “It’s been great meeting townspeople that I ordinarily would not have met.”
And he says the process has been free of “management” looking over his shoulder.
“[Susan] has been totally supportive, not in my hair at all, not second-guessing anything…just very supportive and I really appreciate that,” Grant said. “It’s great to have some freedom and liberty as an artist to do what it is in your mind’s eye.”
Now that the process is complete, the self-taught painter hopes his vision will inspire locals and tourist alike for many years to come.
“It’s something that I want the town to really enjoy, and I hope that the people that are visiting here see something that expresses just a modern view of Luray and a vibrancy and a vitality,” Grant said. onthe final day of painting earlier this month. “And I think that vibrancy and vitality is reflective of what you find in Luray as a visitor, and it’s also kind of a mirror that I hold up to everyone’s experience… We ‘re a great area, a really great area…to live in and to visit.”
For more information about the Town of Luray, CLICK HERE.
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