Seymour Mayor Matt Nicholson, left, talks with Jamie Harris of Tampico,the artist of Seymour's newest mural 'Reno' during a ribbon-cutting for it Monday at 105 W. Second in the city's downtown. Submitted image
A local tattoo artist recently designed and painted the newest mural at 105 W. Second St. in downtown Seymour.
Jamie Harris of Tampico has been creating art his entire life, but for the last 12 years, he has been a tattoo artist in Seymour. For the last two years, he has done his tattoo art at Dead Crow Collective, a local shop that is a tattoo parlor and an art gallery at 207 N. Chestnut St.
The mural, newly named “Reno,” was initiated when Harris was contacted by Jane Hays, the administrative assistant to Mayor Matt Nicholson, asking if he knew of any artists to paint the mural, he said.
“She just was asking if I knew anyone who could do a mural and might be interested to continue furthering the mural project in town,” Harris said. “Probably because there is a lot of artists hanging around our shop and she thought, ‘you know, it’s just a good contact.’ I actually just said, ‘You know if you’re looking for someone, I would actually love to be involved.’”
The next step after Harris made the suggestion that he could be the artist to paint the mural was to submit designs, which he started to think of historical events that had an impact on Seymour, he said.
The mural has horseback riders on the run who represent the Reno Gang with a train being prominent in the design through the suggestion of others, said Harris.
On Oct. 6, 1866, the brothers John and Simeon Reno staged the first train robbery in American history, making off with $13,000 from an Ohio and Mississippi railroad train in downtown Seymour.
“I still got the part I wanted to with the three riders,” he said. “Which I realize the Reno Gang is more than three riders, but I also I wasn’t trying to keep everything exactly true to real life. I was just trying to do a representation.”
Harris received a message from an individual as he was working on the mural who told him that it reminded them of a time of turmoil Seymour faced when the city had to stand up and work through it and times are very similar today in the world, the artist said.
The mural did have that representation to Harris personally, he said.
“Tougher times and trials, if you work on them or work through them, you will get through to a better day,” Harris said.
Harris felt honored and blessed to be able to paint and have his art featured on a large scale for spectators to enjoy.
“When someone puts enough trust in me that they want me to display, whether it be on their arm or the side of a large building, that I’m grateful for the trust and I’m grateful for the opportunity to basically be in the public eyes or the peer’s eyes. Whatever it may be,” he said.
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