Visitors to Resurrection Cemetery in Valley City will now notice a striking new addition at the main entrance. This project combined artistic vision with careful craftsmanship, resulting in a vibrant mural that honors faith and beauty through art.

The process began with the artist sketching the design by hand, envisioning a piece that would echo the rich look of stained glass. To create the final effect, he translated the sketch into Illustrator, simplified the shapes into a low-poly art style, and removed all the color. This clean version was then turned into a stencil using our software, preparing it for transfer onto stone.

The mural was created on a piece of polished black granite measuring 8 ½ by 5 ½ feet. Once the stencil was applied, the image was carefully sandblasted into the surface. Afterward, a coat of white paint was sprayed into the sandblasted areas to prevent the granite from absorbing the paint and to ensure that every color would stand out vividly.

With the base prepared, the team began painting. The painting process took about one week, with careful attention to detail as each section of the design came to life. When complete, the black granite background was revealed, framing the mural and giving it a striking contrast.

Once finished, the mural was sealed with a special mural shield designed to protect the paint from weathering. This ensures that the artwork will remain a lasting, meaningful feature for years to come.

This mural at Resurrection Cemetery is part of an ongoing effort to add meaningful artwork to our cemeteries. In fact, two similar murals can already be found at All Saints Cemetery in Northfield, but these are mosaics created with small pieces of broken up art glass. These walls were made in-house team of craftspeople.

We hope to continue expanding these projects, bringing beauty, faith, and art together in ways that honor the memory of those we serve.

Written By: Paige Muttillo | Marketing Manager | Catholic Cemeteries Association