This rather odd mural has been part of our downtown landscape since the 1980s. I'm not sure exactly when it was painted on the east-facing wall of the World Savings Building, but I think I first noticed it when I started working at Shewmaker's Camera Shop in 1988. I've never figured out exactly what it's supposed to mean (a metaphysical parallel between mustangs running free and space flight? a quantum leap from the stone age to the space age?), and I must admit I've always been curious. Unfortunately I can't really find any info on it, other than the fact that it was painted by local artist Kim Polomka. I have unwittingly blogged about three other of Mr. Polomka's murals over the last couple of years (here, here and here)! Since this is his fourth appearance on my blog, Mr. Polomka is officially The Artist Most Blogged About on Colorado Springs Daily Photo. A dubious honor, indeed ;o) In fact, Mr. Polomka is currently working on a new mural that should be done fairly soon -- I'll make sure to share it with you guys when that happens.
3 comments:
I like this, but it does make me curious!
At one time, there was a massive amount of work done here in Colorado Springs on the Space Shuttle program. TRW was the best example.
I would imagine this mural was meant to allude to that connection.
Here's a link with some details:
http://www.koaa.com/news/remembering-all-their-work-before-the-final-launch/
Mark, thanks for the info and the link! I was aware of the local ties to the space program because I used to shoot for the US Space Foundation, and thus had the pleasure of meeting many astronauts, including Ron Sega (mentioned in the article you linke to), Buzz Aldrin, Jim Lovell, and quite a few more. I wonder if this mural was commissioned by the city or a private individual, and have always been curious about the horse theme. Very interesting :o)
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