Blank spaces in Manheim just got a little more colorful, thanks to the work of Jason and Katherine Horst.

The couple, which owns Horst Arts in Manheim, recently completed work on three large murals in town. One is located in the courtyard at SUPPLY, 280 S. Oak St. Another is featured on the exterior of Teen Central, 15 S. Wolf St., and the third is inside A&M Pizza, 39 Market Square.

The mural at SUPPLY was completed in August of 2022. "They have a neutral space inside, so it was kind of a risk for them to say, 'Let's add a big pop of color,' but they approached us with the concept they wanted," Jason recalled.

Katherine added that the mural includes imagery that has special meaning for the owners of SUPPLY. "They wanted an image of multiple mountain peaks with a sunburst behind them," she said. "There are seven mountain peaks, which relates to seven concepts important to the owners."

The 20-by-12-foot mural was the largest piece the Horsts had completed at that point, and the mural presented another challenge as well.

"It's on corrugated metal, so that was a new surface for us to work on," Katherine said. "It was a learning curve."

Pleased with the results at SUPPLY, the Horsts tackled the murals at Teen Central and A&M simultaneously this past August.

Teen Central's mural was completed to coincide with a renovation of the youth center's exterior, and it features activities kids enjoy at the organization, including gardening and basketball. "They wanted the image of hands holding a seed, and they wanted a Bible because it's a biblically based center," Katherine stated. It was completed on stucco, which presented another challenging surface for the Horsts.

The A&M mural, which consists of six wooden panels, was completed as part of the restaurant's renovations, Jason said. "They wanted a mural that reflected both Manheim and featured the 2003 (state) championship (football) game that Manheim won," he explained. The mural features a number of historic buildings in town, including the old firehouse and the train station. "I took all of those elements and sort of reimagined them all in one city block, and then in the middle of all of that is the football field," Jason said.

Each mural took more than 100 hours to complete. Jason designed the images on a computer and then projected them onto the wall to trace in pencil before the couple got to work painting.

"All three murals, even though they're large scale, were done with tiny brushes, because they include a lot of sharp lines," Katherine said. "Most of the brushes we used were less than an inch wide."

The murals provide an opportunity to showcase Manheim history and provide visual interest, Katherine stated. "It's a conversation piece and it's interactive, because not only does a person get to enjoy something intriguing, but it's also a way to use a space that doesn't normally engage you," she said. "It gives us a chance to stop and pause and enjoy something different."

The Horsts hope to continue creating murals around town, and they are available for more projects. For more information, visit https://horstarts.com.