Cubans will soon have a new piece of artwork by Missouri artist Ray Harvey that features nostalgic holiday history of Cuba. The town that has its own candy bar will soon have its own Christmas print.

Cuba murals by Ray Harvey include the Bette Davis and the Phillips 66 Station murals for Viva Cuba. Harvey has also painted several local murals for private individuals or organizations, such as Victorian Manor & Memory Care Center, My Place Tires, the Catholic Church, and Midwest Travel Plaza.

This time, Viva Cuba, a community betterment organization, went to Harvey with a different request—a nostalgic Christmas print, which included Santa over Route 66 in historic uptown Cuba. Viva Cuba wanted art with a holiday theme, but they didn’t think a year-round mural was the answer, thus the idea of a print.

A new holiday print by mural artist Ray Harvey will be available at Cuba Fest.

To prepare for creating the print, local pilot Don McGinnis flew the artist over Route 66 (in his plane, not in a sleigh) to survey the overall layout of the area. Harvey also snapped shots from street level. He met with Viva Cuba members about what they might want to see in the print. Of course, they wanted much more than could ever be included in it.

The focus of the print had to be narrowed to some of the original area of Cuba featuring the restored Phillips 66 station and the train, which brought about the founding of the town in 1857. The streetscape is not to scale, and some elements are of the present day (murals) while other elements will be from the past (cars, Christmas decorations, etc.). Artistic license allows for elements that might not be present in “real time.”

When word of the print was published on Facebook, someone asked that the “crown lights” that were once on the west end of Cuba water tower “please, please, please” be included in the print. A little research at the Cuba Free Press revealed a December 3, 1963 article that stated that 480 colored lights were arranged around the base of the Cuba water tower in the form of a crown that could be seen for miles.

Harvey has used light to illumine buildings and the street and used Santa and his reindeer as a feature of the print. Elements of the past, combined with current street scenes, make the print traditional and reminiscent of an earlier Cuba. Because of the holiday nature of the print, art patrons may just hang the print during the holiday season or they can include it in their décor year round. Viva Cuba hopes the print will be a keepsake of Cuba’s Route 66 and will one day be a part of the memories of a new generation of Cuba kids.

Harvey will be at Route 66 Cuba Fest 2012 on October 20-21 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. to sign purchased prints. A few prints will be available pre-framed for a higher cost, but unframed prints will be available for $20. It is hoped that many individuals, families, and businesses in Cuba will share in this art offering of Cuba’s history. Harvey maintains the copyright of the painting, but Viva Cuba has digital rights to reproduce the image.

After Cuba Fest, the print (unframed) can be purchased from Viva Cuba on their website www.cubamomurals.com with a shipping charge. Or it can be purchased locally at the Spirals Gallery & Studio, across from the Cuba Free Press building on Route 66/E. Washington, or at the Highway 19 branch of Peoples Bank. The 18x24 print, including the border area, can be installed in a standard frame.

Stop by Route 66 Cuba Fest 2012 on October 20-21 to see the “Christmas over Route 66: Cuba, Missouri” print and have artist Ray Harvey sign it. It will make a great gift for anyone with whom you would like to share a piece of Cuba’s past.