By T. L. Ridgway
Putnam County, Indiana, is becoming an important destination for artists far beyond our local borders. We have had an array of visiting artists over the years, and several have fallen in love with our natural landscapes and diverse residents. They seem to come back time and time again—some even decide to make our region the place they call home. The Greencastle Arts Council would like to acquaint readers with some of these creatives and with their contributions to our area.
The Putnam County Mural Project, located at the intersection of US 231 and Veterans Memorial Highway, was unveiled on September 29, 2019. Although painted by visiting muralist Andrei Krautsou in only 13 days, the project actually took many months to complete due to the extensive advance planning that goes into selecting and creating a permanent public art installation. Dozens of dedicated individuals volunteered their personal time because they care about Putnam County. They researched the most competitive ways to raise the needed funds. They worked with community leaders, organizations and local businesses to ensure that the arts remain on people’s minds by placing something beautiful on a highly visible landmark. These volunteers also coordinated the selection process used to find an appropriate artist(s) and to identify the imagery that would best represent various aspects of our region. Thank you to everyone for their contributions—big and small—all helped make one of Indiana’s largest mural projects possible.
I recently had the pleasure of communicating with Krautsou, also known as Key Detail, about our communities’ creative goals and the barriers we must overcome to share important information through the arts. He graciously was willing to take the time to answer a few questions. Here is what he had to say…
What activities/objects/etc. inspire your work? Your creativity?
“I live in New York City, and it is my biggest inspiration. It gives me energy and power; it pushes me to work harder and faster. My family and I travel a lot, and I really like our intense life style. The new countries and cities also generate a lot of ideas in my head. My soul always needs new inspirations that’s why I can’t stay in one place for a long time.”
What sacrifices have you made for your art?
“Back in my country, before our moving to the U.S. I had very good career in architecture. I had studied and worked for a lot of years but decided to quit very spontaneous. But I have never regret.”
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What is your artistic background?
“In my youth, I was very interested in art. I wanted to be into art life and was fascinated by practicing and experimenting with different media. Then I studied architecture and worked as Project Architect in design of commercial and residential buildings for more than seven years. Architecture influenced me so much, and this experience was invaluable. This knowledge helps me to work with architectural drawings, surroundings, scale, color palette, light, etc. From another side, my profession as a mural artist allows me to travel and see architecture all around the world.”
How has your (artistic) practice changed over time?
“Growing up in Minsk (Belarus), I have been active on the street art scene since the 2000s, working consistently towards developing my style. It is interesting to see how much my content has changed over the years. I experimented with stencil art, wheat paste, painted with acrylic paint on big walls and on small canvases. Now I focus on creating huge outdoor murals.”
Any thoughts that you would like to add in closing?
“My surroundings are my inspiration. My influences are everything I see, feel and experience. I offer works of art to the cities in an attempt to create more beauty in minds and to inspire those who see my work to look more carefully at the world around them.”
Thank you to all of the organizers, volunteers and crowds of people who joined GAC during the Mural Block Party celebration, where we sponsored a “mural painting” project that allowed anyone to grab a can of spray chalk and place themselves in the shoes-of-the-artists by creating imagery on Veteran’s Memorial Highway in front of our county’s beautiful new murals.
For more information about the PC Mural Project, visit putnamcountymuralproject.org. If you are interested in having a mural in your town by Key Detail, contact keydetail.org or keydetailhello@gmail.com. To view more of this New York-based artist’s work, visit instagram.com/keydetail or facebook.com/KeyDetail1.