photos by Cindy Steele
“ Since this is a trail for sports and families, I thought it should be something exciting and invigorating while you were out on the trail,” he said.“ I wanted to make sure to include big bright shapes and colors but also small details that you would notice, maybe not everything at once, but something different every time.
“ I also wanted to make sure that we included some teachable moments, so each of the sections feature a predator / prey interaction. As you walk through the mural it moves from dawn, midday, dusk, to evening. It’ s my stylistic approach to a holistic ecosystem and the nature that surrounds us.
“ It’ s the intersection between art and nature that makes Brown County such a special and unique place, and different than the rest of Indiana,” Eagleman said.“ We also have such a strong sense of community, where people want the best for each other and for the town. I feel really lucky to be born
and raised here and even more honored to come back and add something back to the beauty and what makes this town so special and unique.”
His father, Jim Eagleman, was the Brown County State Park naturalist for 40 years and gave him a great appreciation for nature which influences his artwork.
Kurt said he has always been interested in art, but only started pursuing it full time in the fallout of the pandemic, which he said“ caused a cosmic shift” towards only pursuing things that were going to be fulfilling.
He fell into doing murals as a way to generate an income. Getting to beautify and help shape the town and community that he loves is just a bonus. This was his third mural in town. The other ones are on the side of the Mulberry Cottage, and on the side of the Heritage Mall.
Eagleman said he is completely self-taught with this type of artwork, but he learned the basics from online educational videos.
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Jan./ Feb. 2024 • Our Brown County 51