The artist in charge of the Mississippi River Tales murals is back at work this week -- this time to paint a mural on the blank wall of a Broadway building housing a video store.

The blank wall in the 500 block of Broadway is adjacent to the Trinity Lutheran Church parking lot. Last fall, a small number of church members decided it was a perfect site to pass a message on to the younger generation.

"We came up with all kinds of ideas, but we weren't satisfied," said church member August Birk, who suggested the group consider consulting Thomas Melvin of Chicago with its ideas because he was doing such an outstanding job on the river murals.

Melvin was interested. Before he left town in December, the group asked him to review its work and come back with a concept. Melvin forwarded a sketch in late December, and the church committee loved it. Its members asked him to render it in color so they could secure the right to paint the wall from its owner. They agreed to pay Melvin $18,000, set a date and then began fund raising in earnest.

"We're still in the fund-raising mode. We raised more than half of what we need, but we need to find the money by the time the mural is complete," said Birk, who indicated the mural will be finished by the end of next week. Work began on Monday.

On Wednesday, Melvin, red hat shading his eyes, was perched on the platform of a boom lift in the hot sun along with assistant painter Craig Thomas, who also worked on the river murals. The artists were busy painting the ornate border that encompasses open doors set against a light green background.

"We wanted to keep it very graphic, strong and simple," shouted Melvin, leaning over the rail of the platform to talk. "I think the door makes it [the Bible verse] more sacred."

In the space between the doors in the mural is written Proverbs 22:6: "Train a child in the way he should go and when he is older he will not turn from it."

"We're hoping that Cape Girardeau residents will see the mural and the message it portrays. ... It should be of special interest to adults," Birk said.

lcianci@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 127