ST FRANCIS OF THE BAYOU

ST CLAUS MAKES A MURAL

Two weeks after hurricane laura- made landfall, a bay st.

Louis- artist honored those who were - affected by the category 4- storm.- news 25's grace boyles has more- details from the bay as the - artist- displayed his finished mural fo- the first time.

- - after two and a half months of- painting and carving, bay st.

- louis artist bob mcgraw put his- finishing touches on his mural- at ruth's roots thursday- evening.- the mural-- called st.

Francis- in the bayou -- is- dedicated to those impacted by- hurricane laura.- bob mcgraw, local artist: "they need to be remembered.

We, here- in the bay and on - the coast, have direct knowledg- of that.

We weren't here at the- time, but we had- relatives here.

And we- understand, intuitively what- they're going through.

It's - tough."

Ruth roots director elise - epperson deano proposed the - idea to mcgraw about dedicating- the mural to laura victims- because she remembers the - suffering that she and her- family went through during- hurricane katrina.

Deano- lost her long beach home and he- bay st.

Louis office during - the storm 15 years ago.

- - - - elise epperson deano, ruth's- roots director: "nationally there's just a whole- bunch of stuff going on and so - do feel like-- i don't want - those people to get - forgotten because i know how- horrible it is.

I had a ten - month old baby and it was - absolutely the worst time of my- life."

Mcgraw used driftwood he found- after tropical storm- cristobal to create 3-d figures- for his mural including a - opposum, wood peckers, a racoon- an alligator, and - st.francis.

- bob mcgraw, local artist: - "trying to bring a figure, in this case a human figure and- some animals to life, as it wer- out of inanimate wood, it's - always a challenge."

Grace boyles, news 25: "mcgraw chose to featrue st.francis in- his mural because st.

- francis believed nature was a - mirror of god.

The saint also - believed in calling - animals his brothers and- sisters, even alligators."

Bob mcgraw, local artist: "he's sor of the patron saint of- protecting the- environment of protecting the - environment.

And i thought give- our - location, given the nature- that's all around us that havin- st.

Francis holding an- alligator would be quite- approporiate."

- - - in bay st.

Louis, grace boyles,- news 25.- -