Artist Victoria Lane and a mural in her hometown of DeSoto, Missouri. She has designed more than a dozen, and her latest work will represent the city of Jackson.
Provided by Victoria Lane
A trip to see every mural designed by Victoria Lane would take you across the country and back from her hometown of De Soto, Missouri.
She currently paints murals in the eastern Missouri towns of DeRoges and Festus, as well as east, south and west. Her work has been exhibited in at least three of her cities: Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Arizona, Utah, and Georgia.
Her latest work is based in Jackson. When it comes to finding it, Jackson residents don’t have to look far. They’re going to see it every time they buy groceries at Walmart.
“I actually have a number of family members who live in Jackson. I’ve been to the area many times and I love it,” Lane said. “It’s been a long time since we had a committee so close to home that we could visit regularly.”
Lane graduated from Lindenwood University in 2021 and returned to the school to teach writing classes to students. Although she has always had a passion for traditional art, she said she had little experience with digital art until the last hours of 2019.
The Victoria Lane mural is part of Walmart’s Community Mural Project. Artists (usually local residents) design art that represents the specific towns where Walmart operates stores. Her mural at Walmart in Jackson will be unveiled once renovations are complete.
Provided by Victoria Lane
She discovered that Walmart is partnering with Los Angeles-based NOW Art agency to host a community mural program to design artwork for approximately 1,000 stores. Her friends and family encouraged her to submit her mural to the De Soto location.
Lane entered the contest at the last minute, thinking she would be wasting her opportunity if she didn’t participate. On December 31, 2019, she was able to design and submit the mural within seven hours, mistakenly believing her deadline was at the end of the year.
A few months later, Lane was informed that her design had been selected by De Soto. In late 2021, Walmart representatives called about another opportunity, this time regarding a commission from Deloge Walmart. She submitted her application and was informed the next day that she had been selected.
From there, she was added to a group of artists around the country that Walmart managers could call on to paint murals.
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“After Desloges, I started receiving commissions for different murals around the country to highlight local communities. (They) featured different landmarks, different principles, and community values. “I was there,” she said.
Research is paramount to creating a memorable mural. Lane looks at local government websites, businesses’ websites, and even maps to understand what the community is like.
Lane said her art style is contemporary, modern and illustrative. She is often chosen for the job if the manager wants that style in the location and there is no one locally who can do it. A manager often selects at least three of her features that she wants included in the design.
For Jackson, the lanes had to include the St. Louis Iron Mountain & Southern Railroad, high school football, and Jackson City Park.
“Creating the piece for Jackson City Park was difficult because there were so many interesting things in the park that I wanted to represent,” she said.
She included all of these items in the final design. She also added the Cape Girard County Courthouse and fireworks display.
Lane received the commission in late September and had just a week to complete the design, making the mural much faster than it was two years ago.
“When I first made the ‘Deloge’ piece, I had a month to do it and I needed that month. Now I have a week and it’s done in a week,” she said.
Lane uses Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Fresco programs. The former is good for drawing precise lines, and the latter is great for drawing organic shapes. NOW Art processes prints onto adhesive vinyl. The final design will be installed shortly before the renovated store reopens.
“Normally it takes weeks, if not months, but I think (the Jackson mural) will be finished by the end of the year. If I had to guess, it would probably be mid-to-late November.” she said.
Once published, Lane’s family and friends who live in the area will be able to view it knowing that it was created by someone they know. Lane said that makes the project feel a little more personal, but it’s an artist’s dream to have his work seen by as many people as possible.
“I went to a technical art school and have always been an artistic person, but I never thought I would become a professional artist,” she said. “…It was a wild ride that I absolutely loved.”