New mural in downtown Roanoke celebrates Blue Ridge Region

ROANOKE, Va. (WDBJ) - A new mural in downtown Roanoke celebrates outdoor recreation in western Virginia and the region’s scenic beauty.

Visible from I-581, the mural will extend across two sides of the Freedom First Federal Credit Union Building, near the intersection of Elm Avenue and Williamson Road. It combines the image of a rock climber with a view of western Virginia’s mountains.

Artist James Bullough and Onur Dinc are partnering on the project.

“As you come down the highway you see the front of the mural,” Bullough explained. “And then as you continue by, you sort of come around the corner and you experience it almost as a movie scene panning from one side to the next.”

Paul Phillips is the President and CEO of Freedom First Federal Credit Union.

“I’m really pleased,” Phillips told WDBJ7. “They’re obviously very talented artists, which is why we invited them. We’ve seen their work, and we were hoping they would do the same thing here. And they’ve come through. It’s terrific.”

Bullough and Dinc are about halfway through the project. The artists hope to have the mural completed in the next few days.

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