ROCHELLE — The City of Rochelle recently saw completion on April 20 of a new mural it commissioned in the downtown area on the south side of the second story of ALM Fine Cabinetry. The location enables traffic coming from the south on the overpass to see the mural.

The mural’s location came about after ALM Fine Cabinetry received a city facade grant to repair the wall the mural is now featured on, which previously said Shop Rochelle on it. The owners of the business offered the spot to the city for a mural location.

The city shared a request for proposal to attract mural submissions from local and regional artists in 2024 and found its artist: Michael Ferrarell of Chicago. The mural design depicts the words “Rochelle, Illinois: The Hub City!” with a train, skydiver, hub and corn also depicted. City council members chose a color scheme on March 24. The mural came at a $10,000 cost to the city.

Ferrarell has painted numerous murals across the country, many in a similar style to what he painted in Rochelle. Ferrarell established himself as a street artist known as Left Handed Wave in Chicago and took his street art from New York City to Los Angeles and many major cities in between.

“I was happy with the way it came together and it looked like the mockup,” Ferrarell said. “I had fun playing with the perspective, because of where it’s seen from and the wall not being exactly flat. It was a fun challenge. I thought Rochelle was great. I’ve been to a lot of small towns. It was clean and safe and there were people around and everyone was so pleasant.”

After being selected to paint the mural, Ferrarell worked with the city on a design and came to Rochelle to gather information on its uniqueness and history. The train in the mural is modeled after a Whitcomb locomotive, a former train engine manufacturer in Rochelle. Ferrarell found the hub design in an old Rochelle Township High School yearbook. The skydiver is depicted to represent something more modern and new in town. 

“I do as much research as possible to be familiar with the area and its history,” Ferrarell said. “It’s about respect and kindness and being open to what people think. I want to give people something they can enjoy.”

The process of painting the mural involving priming the wall, taping off negative space and making out a grid, the use of an overhead projector at night to project the image onto the wall and drawing out the design, filling in color and detail, and then a sealant to protect it against time and weather in the years ahead. Ferrarell combated wind and rain in the five days he painted the mural.

Ferrarell said his work on murals in communities around the country helps him to take on different perspectives and become more worldly.

“It feels good to give communities a point of pride,” Ferrarell said. “I love the responses the murals get. It feels good to give them something that’s going to last that represents the past and present. And it can be a bridge to the future and more creativity.”