Greg Preslicka is almost done with the Scott County Library mural.
The big 9-by-14-foot section in the system's Savage branch sits to his left, already complete. In it, three cartoon critters putz along in a teal-and-purple dirigible, high above a rolling prairie scene not far removed from the southern Minnesotan landscape where the library is located.
Now Preslicka is working on the remaining 8-by-8-foot section, shading in a dog and cat who are sharing the cab of what looks to be a purple hang glider. An old Walkman playing National Public Radio is clipped to his belt, and a new haircut and a matching, neatly trimmed brown beard frame his round face.
Staccato dabs with a short-haired brush do most of the work, but it's the long, wavy, contoured strokes that get the final say. He stops all the time to quickly mix colors in an old metal tray. There's a reddish brown, two shades of neon orange, three shades of turquoise, a light purple and a deep blue, but there is no black. Preslicka doesn't use black. And he doesn't do Disney characters.
"What I do is create unique stuff. There's value in having something that is totally unique," said Preslicka, speaking in the calm, thoughtful demeanor of a man who paints children's murals.
"In art school, everyone wanted to illustrate children's books, and this is a way I could do some of that."
The Savage resident grew up in New Prague and went to the College of Visual Arts in St. Paul. After graduation, he worked for a few different local design firms before starting Preslicka Studio 18 years ago.
Much of his work has been aimed at a youthful audience. Preslicka has done jobs for General Mills, Dairy Queen, Nabisco, Malt-O-Meal and 3M, as well as creating the logos for Scott County and the cities of Savage and Burnsville.
