Artist Jennifer Butts creates a new mural for the Lemoore Odd Fellows building

Lemoore’s newest mural comes courtesy of artist Jennifer Butts, hired by the Odd Fellows organization to brighten the north side of their building and the corner of D Street and Heinlen Street. It isn’t the first mural to grace the Odds building. Several years ago, well-known artist Colleen Chronister painted one at the same location, but weather and damage led to its demise.

Chronister is the creator of several murals in Lemoore, including the two artworks on D Street’s downtown park and murals on the Wells Fargo Bank and the downtown Leprino Foods plant.

The newest addition to Lemoore’s mini mural renaissance is a welcome addition to the downtown and its existing arsenal of artworks, an artistic movement that began a couple of decades ago designed to beautify the city.

And it certainly brightens up that particular corner which already has an iconic presence thanks to Ramblin’ Rose, a well-known floral shop in Lemoore owned and operated by Chris Brazil and John Miller.

Brazil seemed pleased with the new addition on the north wall of Ramblin’ Rose. “I think it draws interest. People are always talking about the murals in the downtown,” said the longtime Lemoore business owner. “Look at Exeter, and people constantly driving to Exeter to see murals. So, it draws attention; it draws people to town.

"She definitely has her own style. I'm real excited to see it when it's all finished, but based on what I've seen so far, I think it looks great. She has her own style. Every mural artist I've ever seen has their own look, and she has a very specific look of her own.”

Butts, an Arkansas native is a former missionary and a credentialed art teacher who has taught the subject for at least 15 years ago. She and husband Robert, a financial advisor, made a home in Kings County.

“I’m going to be a muralist,” she predicted upon returning to California. It was her uncle who got her interested in the art world. “My uncle was an artist, so that got my brother and I started. I took art and studied all through college,” she recalled.

Placing artwork on buildings is not her first "rodeo" so to speak. She's painted 15 murals, several in Hanford. She did two murals for Hanford's Story Book Garden. She also is scheduled to paint at least two in Sacramento.

She described the Odd Fellows mural: “This is the architecture of the second story of the Odd Fellows (building)” she said. “The (Odd Fellows) wanted a three-dimensional look.”

So, after scrubbing the wall and receiving approval from the City of Lemoore, Butts went to work. It took her about a week, working roughly eight hours a day to complete it. She was scheduled to finish on Saturday and then spend the day Sunday varnishing it.