New mural being painted in New Salem

NEW SALEM, N.D. (KFYR) - One street in New Salem is getting a second Salem Sue, but this one will be in paint. Bismarck artist Paul Noot is painting another community mural.

“The last two sections are probably the most detailed. They’re more realistic, both ends, there’s more realism versus the center part of the mural,” said Paul Noot.

Before he began painting, Noot made a small-scale sketch, then stencils on paper before he transferred the sketch to the wall. He said he met with a New Salem board to cultivate the idea for the mural.

“Because you know you always want to come up with the perfect idea or the perfect sketch. You get it going, and you get it going like, maybe I should do that or tweak that a little. So, I sat on it for a while. I wasn’t sure exactly how to approach this,” said Noot.

This blue section in the center of the mural represents Morton County, and the heart in the center is New Salem’s location. The rest of the mural focuses on the culture and history of Morton County.

“The community becomes proud of things like this. I think it puts art out in a public way. I’ve had fun talking to the neighbors, getting to know the people that live on this block, people stopping by,” said Noot.

For the past seven days, he painted 8-10 hours each day and has already gone through 8 quarts of acrylic paint.

“Painting murals is also relaxing. Believe it or not, it’s actually very rewarding and satisfying too,” said Noot.

He said every minute is worth it and loves adding new artwork to the New Salem community. The mural is expected to be finished in a couple of weeks. It’s located a half block north of Main on 6th Street.

Copyright 2022 KFYR. All rights reserved.