In the heat of the day, Odessa Helm reaches out of an improvised sun covering to apply paint to the side of the Aubrey downtown fire station.
The newest creation, which faces Veterans Memorial Park, is not Helm's first work in Aubrey.
'I got asked not long ago what my favorite mural project is that I've done throughout my career, and I answered the first project here in Aubrey, because of just how smoothly it went, how good the weather was, how nice the people were,' she said. 'I got to do it during the Peanut Festival, got to stay right across the street and I got to bring my baby with me, so I said it was a good transition into motherhood project.'
The two-story mural that Helm has added to the fire station is her final project before she welcomes her second son into the world.
Topped with the outline of the state of Texas with a star over the heart of Aubrey, a phrase that also appears in the mural, the mural is a nod to the people who serve the residents of the city—the police department, the fire department, and the parks and recreation department.
'We wanted to try to incorporate [local law enforcement and the fire department] to show that they're integrated into the community, that it's not just the fire department is off by themselves, watching, or the police department is off by themselves, so they're actually intertwined with the community,' she said.
Helm takes making her murals accurate seriously, studying the historical and current look of the city's equipment so the images truly represent the community.
'There's going to be a few little Easter egg things throughout the mural, like the stuffed peanut,' she said. 'There will be in the middle, the parks and rec logo, and we'll actually have the actual Aubrey Police Department patch on the arm and then the actual fire department patch, as well as the truck.'
The station itself is called the Nut House, so that's reflected in Helm's design.
'It'll be fun for everyone to look around and see,' Helm said.
She also incorporated Texas wildflowers, including bluebonnets, that grow in the area into the mural, as well as the stage that stands feet from the image.
She opted for the same color-blocking style that she used in her nod to Aubrey's history on the side of the Aubrey Municipal Development District building.
Helm's favorite part of the mural is the fire engine.
'I have a thing for painting just old vehicles in general, so I love whenever I get to incorporate something like that,' she said. 'I've gotten to peak my head into the fire station to make sure that things are accurate on it. I had one of the firemen show me their actual fire ... extinguishers yesterday, and then even the gloves that he wears just to make sure.'
Helm's mother-in-law, Jenny Emerson, again came with Helm to support her and help her paint a portion of the mural.
Helm's sister-in-law, Leighanna Emerson, also came to help, and her husband and their toddler son also came for a part of the process.
'We're real family-oriented, so we all kind of help each other out when we need it,' Jenny said.
Her favorite part of the mural is the firefighter with the little boy, who she thinks resembles her grandson, Helm's oldest.
Helm is proud to have two pieces in downtown, and she also commented on the changes that have been made to the town in the less than two years between murals.
'As a muralist, I think public art is super important, but I think it's just really an added thing for a downtown like this, especially whenever you have a really neat park like this,' Helm said.
