A whale might seem out of place in the minnow-sized community of Dexter, but muralist Michael Fish, who painted a mural at the Pecos Valley Teen Center (PVTC) on Monday, said he hopes the whale and the Dexter’s desert environment will convey a range of emotions to those viewing the mural.
“The image I envisioned for the teen center is one that, I believe, conveys wonder, adventure, dreams and hope,” Fish said. “(It) represents each of us who feel out of place at one point or another in our lives.”
Fish said the mural was meant to evoke the feeling of walking among the clouds in a fantasy-like setting.
Topping the mural is the masked character “Brody,” a common feature of Fish’s artwork inspired by his autistic son, he said.
“The mask that we all wear is important, our external image or public persona,” he said. “Most of us have some, not to speak of the masks that others put on us by judging at first sight.”
Fish said she believes the image is appropriate for a teen center.
“Many, if not all young people, travel feeling lost, or out of their depth,” he said. “They’re trying on masks – trying to take off the masks that others have put on them.
“It’s a journey we have to take,” Fish said.
The actress said her son has seen many doctors and therapists, but they rarely go to the son she knows because they only see the masks she puts on.
Anna Chaney, vice president of the PVTC Board of Directors, said she first became a fan of Fish’s artwork when she saw one of his murals while visiting Capitan, where Fish lives. Fish has done other murals in Whites City, Ruidoso, Carlsbad, Clovis and Artesia as well, he said.
So Chaney invited Fish to do the PVTC mural.
“He asked a bunch of questions, I asked a bunch of questions,” Chaney said.
Fish accepts the job, but can’t be sure when he’ll be able to get to Dexter to paint it.
Fish was born in Ruidoso and raised in Capitan, he said.
After attending Eastern New Mexico University and New Mexico State University, Fish said he worked as a farrier before becoming a full-time artist in 2018.
His subjects often include people and animals.
“I’m a colorist,” Fish said. “I want to make really bright colors, colors that shouldn’t go together.
“Kind of a cult of ugliness,” he said.
Nancy Miles, a PVTC board member, said PVTC is housed in one of the oldest buildings in Dexter.
“We think it was built in 1906 and was originally a pharmacy,” he said. Later, it was a grocery store, at least in the late 1950s, Miles said.
After the building sat idle, a local Presbyterian pastor, Stephen Deutsch, obtained permission to hold events in the building, even though it had not been restored.
Miles said the project has been self-funded for years.
“You wouldn’t believe how many tamales we sold,” he said with a laugh.
Eventually, the Pecos Valley Ministerial Alliance was involved with the center, but the alliance eventually incorporated as the Pecos Valley Alliance, Miles said.
“There’s no church like that around,” he said.
Since then, many restorations and improvements have been made to the center, some funded by the state, but many done by the youth of the community, he said.
Today, the center is owned by the city of Dexter, and is equipped with a modern kitchen, conference room and large multi-purpose room.
An interesting feature in the center is a large chandelier made from old windmill blades and vintage bottles.
“When we replaced the floor, there was a lot of unusual stuff under the old floor, including a lot of bottles,” Miles said. “The kids became interested in the old bottles.”
A local widow also donated a large collection of bottles, and the children turned them into chandeliers.
“The bottles are very dirty,” Miles said. “The kids spent weeks washing everything.”
PVTC hosts several events, Miles said, including educational events such as cooking and art classes, as well as hosting meetings with Future Farmers of America and other groups. of youth.
Currently, the center is only open during events, he said, with additional funding needed to keep it open more often.
“We just hope the center can offer a place for kids to hang out,” he said. “There’s not much to do in Dexter.”
For information on Michael Fish, visit artbyfish.org.
For more information on PVTC, visit pecosvalleyteencenter.com, email [email protected] or call 575-840-7608.
