BYRON — The City of Byron held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Friday to unveil its fourth downtown mural, “Community and Connection,” at 135 N. Union St. The artwork, created by Nicole Arand, a Columbia College Chicago graduate and founder of Sharp Custom Painting, brought a nature-inspired design to the city’s downtown. The mural, which took four weeks to complete, featured prairie elements in subdued tones. Arand, who previously worked as a graphic designer in the Rockford area, has painted murals across northern Illinois.
“It’s a lot of pressure to look nice and timeless and something that everybody will like,” she said.