Artist completes mural highlighting Rocky Top
The new mural on the side of the Coal Creek General Store at 331 N. Main St. in Rocky Top (photo:G Chambers Williams III )
Multimedia artist Casey Davey of Oak Ridge finished the mural in time for the Sept. 30 grand opening of the new Coal Creek General Store.
The artwork is on the south wall of the outside of the store building, at 331 S. Main St.
Its message is “Welcome to Rocky Top,” with the “Rocky Top” part in big, hollowed-out letters filled in by a mountain scene, as well as scenes from Norris Dam, railroads, coal mines, and the Wind-rock off-road park.
Davey said she was commissioned by Coal Creek General Store owner Jason Deel to paint the mural after she first reached out to the store about selling some of her pottery there.
Deel, who owns the store with his wife, Natalie, said in August that he had begun a “Go Fund Me” account online to try to raise money for the painting of the mural.
The section of the wall designated for the mural had already been outlined and given a base coat of yellow paint.
It stands more than two stories high, beginning at ground level.
“Rocky Top is more than just a town; it’s a tapestry of stories woven together by the people who call it home,” Deel said, adding that the mural would be designed to reflect that heritage.