ABC 33/40 - Birmingham News, Weather, SportsCourthouse artists touches up work for Monday's dedication

    A Hawaiian artist hired to bring U.S. and West Alabama history to the new courthouse in Tuscaloosa spent Friday touching up his spectacular work before Monday's dedication.

    Caleb O'Connor is painting 16 murals depicting the area's past and present time.

    They include one of the Moundville Indians arrival, Tannehill to Union Troops burning the University of Alabama.  There's even a painting for World Wars I & II and Korean Conflict veterans.

    "They all relate.  They're key moments in history that were a point of effective change or something that stood for a period of time or way of life that was consistent for a period of time," said O'Connor.   He spent weeks at a time researching and living in areas related to the paintings.

     Presiding District Judge Scott Coogler says the idea is to give the public a sense of ownership.  "It was built with the features that are not only necessary for the building to function but also built in a way that the public would be proud of the building and when they come they'll feel like they're in a courthouse,"said Coogler.

      O'Connor says his most prized piece is one of the April 27th tornado.  Unless you look closely, you'd think it was a painting depicting one area but O'Connor says 90 photos comprising ever affected community went into the piece.  "Every photograph in that painting was taken by somebody on the street with a camera with their cell phone and that way you get real expressions."