Wilkes County Frescoes

St. Paul's Episcopal Church has stood atop a steep hill in downtown Wilkesboro, North Carolina, for more than one hundred and fifty years. The church traces its beginnings to 1836, and its brick Gothic building was constructed in 1848 and consecrated the following year. A new chapel was later built behind the old church and connected to it by a commons area to accommodate the growing congregation. Through a partnership between the Cultural Arts Council of Wilkes and St. Paul's Episcopal Church, international artist Benjamin F. Long, IV painted two frescoes in the church's commons area. After discussions among members of St. Paul's parish, Cultural Arts Council of Wilkes board members, and Benjamin Long, the group unanimously chose the Apostle Paul as the theme. The two frescoes depict the life of Paul. Long used the same fresco technique Michelangelo chose for the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, mixing sand and lime, applying the mixture to a wall, and painting while it was still wet. The crew ground pigments from clays and minerals imported from France and Italy to create the colors used in the frescoes. Because the pigment bonds to wet plaster, the work required meticulous planning and great skill, and unlike oil painting, any mistake meant the artist had to cut out the entire day's work and begin again.

Wilkesboro, North Carolina · United States