Jaden Starry, the artist who recently painted the “Bloom & Buzz” mural in Canby Alley (next to West Columbus Avenue) in Bellefontaine is pictured in front of the gorgeous floral design she painted. (NIKKI BURKHAMER | THE CHRONICLE)
Just a few years ago, downtown Bellefontaine looked very different from what it does today.
Vacant storefronts, aging buildings, and forgotten walls once lined much of the city's historic district. Today, those same streets are filled with bustling businesses, vibrant storefronts, outdoor gathering spaces, and colorful public art that draws visitors from across Logan County and beyond.
Adding to that transformation is a young middle school art teacher from nearby Pleasant Hill whose passion for creativity is helping make downtown even more beautiful.
Jaden Starry spends her school days teaching art to middle school students at Morton Middle School in Vandalia. But this summer, she traded the classroom for an electric scissor lift, painting a massive 77-by-30-foot floral mural that has quickly become a favorite backdrop for visitors and residents alike.
For Starry, the opportunity came through a small-town connection.
The owner of The Chouse, a landmark property in Pleasant Hill where Starry and her husband were married, knew Bellefontaine developer Jason Duff. Starry had previously painted multiple murals for property owner Kristen Gray in Pleasant Hill, including artwork at The Chouse and nearby silos.
When Duff began looking for the right artist to bring a long-planned mural design to life in Bellefontaine, those hometown connections led him to Starry.
"He had actually been holding on to the design for years," Starry said. "When he asked if I could do it, I was excited. Having the design already created made the process so much easier."
The project marked Starry's fifth mural, and it is definitely one of her most beautiful.
Throughout the weeks of painting, she found herself becoming part of the downtown experience. Visitors regularly stopped to ask questions, offer encouragement, and learn about the artist behind the giant blooms stretching across the building.
"The town has been super kind," she said. "People stop and talk, ask about my background, and share how much they enjoy seeing the mural come together."
That sense of community is one of the things Starry loves most about small towns.
Raised in Pleasant Hill, she originally attended a medical career school before choosing a different path. While considering majors at Lee University in Tennessee, she simply asked herself what she could happily spend the rest of her life doing.
The answer was art.
Since then, she has earned degrees in art education and curriculum and instruction, studied with a master painter in a small village in southern France, and built a growing business creating live wedding paintings throughout the region.
Now, her artistic footprint in Bellefontaine is growing as well.
Jaden Starry stands next to the wall that will hold her newest project, a Bigfoot mural, outside of Bella Vino Events & Wine Room, off Canby Alley. (NIKKI BURKHAMER | THE CHRONICLE)
As one mural’s completion is celebrated, Starry is already preparing to begin another project today, Aug. 7, outside Bella Vino Events & Wine Room, just steps away from her current work.
For Starry, the murals are about more than paint and brick. They're about creating places where people pause, smile, take photos, tell stories, and feel connected to their community.
And for a downtown that continues to reinvent itself while honoring its small-town roots, that's exactly the kind of artwork that belongs here.
