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Partly cloudy skies. High 77F. Winds light and variable..
Partly cloudy during the evening followed by cloudy skies overnight. Low 59F. Winds light and variable.
Chris Galiyas of Rostraver Township restores the colors of his mural on silos along the Yough River Trail in Connellsville. Galivas originally was commissioned to paint the silos 15 years ago.
Chris Galiyas of Rostraver Township restores the colors of his mural on silos along the Yough River Trail in Connellsville.
Rostraver Township muralist Chris Galivas has restored paintings on silos along the Yough River Trail in Connellsville.
Chris Galiyas of Rostraver Township restores the colors of his mural on silos along the Yough River Trail in Connellsville. Galivas originally was commissioned to paint the silos 15 years ago.
Chris Galiyas of Rostraver Township restores the colors of his mural on silos along the Yough River Trail in Connellsville.
Rostraver Township muralist Chris Galivas has restored paintings on silos along the Yough River Trail in Connellsville.
The artist responsible for murals on the silos along the Yough River Trail in Connellsville returned recently to restore his work to its former colorful glory.
Fifteen years ago, Chris Galiyas of Rostraver Township bid on a project by the Yough River Trail Council to paint four silos owned by Youghiogheny Glass. His bid was to prep the silos for the winner of a contest sponsored by the council. They were looking for an artist to design eye-catching murals for the structures.
“I said, I can do that, and I’ll apply, and they laughed,” he said.
Galiyas, a full-time art teacher at Clara Barton Elementary School in West Mifflin and a muralist, submitted his sketch to them, and it was a winner.
Even Galiyas admits the idea wasn’t totally his.
“While I was prepping the silos for the mural, a lot of people where on that trail and they were pretty excited about the rust leaving the silos. They said they use the trail all year long, and that clicked in my head,” he said.
The title of the mural, “4 Seasons,” depicts winter, spring, summer and fall images that can be seen by those riding the Great Allegheny Passage into Connellsville.
“The actual passers-by came up with the idea,” he said. “I just executed it.”
When he initially painted the mural, Galiyas had two assistants and used wooden scaffolding to complete the project in about five weeks. He used exterior house paint.
The colors on the painted silos popped, but started to fade over time, prompting the Yough River Council to commission Galiyas to restore the bright colors.
This time around, as Galiyas worked solo on the silos, he used a scissor lift and extension ladders to reach the heights of the structures. Instead pf exterior house paint, he used an oil-based spray paint to last longer, and applied two layers of a clear coat on top of the restored murals.
It took Galiyas nearly three weeks to complete the restoration, and, like last time, many people along the trail stopped and commented on the work he was doing.
“They’d stop and take pictures of me posing with them – they were super excited about it,” he said. “They love the bold colors that are back, and they remember it back in the day and are excited about it getting a new life.”
For Galiyas, who has been painting small and large murals in different styles for many years at bars, restaurants, private homes and businesses, the “4 Seasons” silo project is significant to him.
“When I first started this job, it was during my first year of teaching,” Galiyas said.
He finished the restoration on Aug. 4 – his wedding anniversary – and during the course of the restoration, his second son was born. Eagle-eyed visitors can now see tributes to Galiyas’ own milestones in the work.
A tree bears his wife’s initials and there are logos for his two sons: an arrow for Arrow, and an anchor for Navy.
“These silos have a special place in my heart,” he said.
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