Artist Amy Locklear created the mural at the Railroad Bar and Grill over five and a half days at the end of June.
Stephanie Walcott | The Laurinburg Exchange
Artist Amy Locklear signs her name on the completed mural at the Railroad Bar and Grill.
Stephanie Walcott | The Laurinburg Exchange
Art teacher and track coach Shaquille Ray works on a mural at the Gibson Sign Shop.
Stephanie Walcott | The Laurinburg Exchange
Once completed, the mural on the Gibson Sign Shop, will pay tribute to Laurinburg and its sister city, Oban, Scotland.
Stephanie Walcott | The Laurinburg Exchange
LAURINBURG — With the addition of two new murals this summer, downtown Laurinburg is brimming with artistic flair.
The latest murals are located on the Railroad Bar and Grill building at the corner of South Main and Railroad streets and at Gibson Sign Shop near the corner of West Church and Atkinson streets.
Artist Amy Locklear created the mural at the Railroad Bar and Grill over five and a half days at the end of June. Fittingly, her scene depicts a red and white railroad car rolling through the countryside. The train features a Scottish flag and the words “City of Laurinburg” emblazoned on it.
The idea for the mural was provided by the business, and Locklear brought it to life by referencing photos of old railcars provided by the Arts Council of Scotland County. Representatives of the Railroad Bar and Grill were unavailable for comment as of press time.
Locklear, who has been a muralist for five years, said the most challenging aspect of the project was working in the heat.
“It was so hot,” she said. “I wore cooling fans around my neck. I also made sure to drink plenty of water and take lots of breaks.”
She said community support helped keep her motivated.
“People would drive by and wave and honk. Walkers would stop, observe, and offer praise. Some even offered water,” she said. “It helped me keep going.”
Locklear said she has always loved art, and her teachers recognized her talent even in elementary school, often asking her to help with bulletin boards and other creative projects. She left art behind for a time but rekindled her passion after taking a drawing class at Richmond Community College in 2010.
“I began doing pencil portrait drawings while still working as a retail merchandiser,” she said. “In 2020, Fayetteville Urban Ministries asked me to paint a large J. Cole portrait on a wall. Even though I had never done a large-scale painting before, I did it, and it came out really well. That’s when I realized I could do art for a living, and by 2024, it became my full-time job.”
Locklear also painted the dandelion mural on the side of Scotland Bling.
Art teacher and track coach Shaquille Ray is working on the mural at Gibson Sign Shop. Once completed, the mural will pay tribute to Laurinburg and its sister city, Oban, Scotland. The design centers around a large Scottish flag, with scenes representing Oban on one side and Laurinburg on the other.
Ray, who previously painted smaller murals at Carver Middle School and Sycamore Lane Elementary, said the most difficult part hasn’t been the heat.
“As a track coach, I’m used to the heat,” he said. “What’s been tricky has been working around the windows and camouflaging the various pipes, vents, meters, and other hardware protruding from the building, so it doesn’t distract from the art.”
Ray hopes to complete the mural in the coming weeks.
“There are a lot of details to this mural, so it will take a while,” he said.
Ray, who graduated with an art degree from UNC Pembroke in 2016, said art has always been a part of his life.
“I’ve been drawing all my life. Art has always been important to me,” he said.
The building is owned by Lee Howell, whose daughter, Sydney, participated in the Oban student exchange program about six years ago.
“My daughter and I wanted to do something to honor the sister city relationship between Laurinburg and Oban,” Howell said. “This is something we can show the students from Oban when they come to visit. It will make a great photo op for them. We’re excited to see the finished product.”
These murals are the third and fourth funded by the Arts Council of Scotland County. Director Olivia Fitzgerald said the project is partially supported by the North Carolina Arts Council, and some of that funding is earmarked for specific uses.
“Murals meet those guidelines,” Fitzgerald said. “Since we did the first bubbles mural by McDuffie Square, there’s been a lot of interest in murals.”
Susan Morrison with the City of Laurinburg works with the arts council to connect interested businesses with mural opportunities. Fitzgerald said the Arts Council then acts as a conduit between muralists and business owners. From there, the artist and business collaborate on the design.
“We’re glad to do it,” Fitzgerald said. “It helps tell the stories of our community.”