Marion artist hopes work on fence lessens virus cabin fever

MARION, Iowa (AP) — Every morning, if weather allows, Shane McCallister hangs artwork on the fence outside his house.

McCallister, 32, hopes his “roadside attraction” on the corner of 13th Avenue and Ninth Street in Marion helps alleviate some of the cabin fever of passersby who are hunkering down to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus.

“I’m just so happy with the response to this project,” he told The Gazette. “It warms my heart how the community is appreciating this gesture.”

McCallister’s artwork joins that of hundreds of thousands of people across the United States who are decorating their houses with paper hearts or putting stuffed bears in their windows for “bear hunts” — scavenger hunts where kids look for bears.

The trend of sharing art during this time originated on Facebook and picked up speed fast as states impose shelter-at-home orders and social-distancing guidelines.

McCallister, an image editor at Nordstrom Photo Studio who has found himself working from home the past few weeks, said it’s been fun to watch families walk by or get out of their cars to take a closer look at his art.

McCallister collects leaves and flower petals to create his art, which he scans in and then uses Photoshop to create his portraits.

“The idea behind it is to show how we’re all kind of connected to this world,” he said.

The Marion resident’s favorite piece is one of Greta Thunberg, a teenage environmental activist from Sweden who attracted thousands during a visit last fall to Iowa City.

“I used a lot of dry, tough leaves to work with her message. It’s a metaphor,” McCallister said.

Another favorite of his is the Iowa Wave, showing fans at Hawkeye home football games waving to young patients at the nearby University of Iowa Stead...