Stan Herd raised the scissor lift he was working from on Thursday and dabbed paint onto his brush, then took a step back and examined his work before leaning in and adding a few brush strokes of contour to Scott Joplin’s suit jacket.

(BPT) - Appearances count, especially when you’re trying to sell a home. Even though the housing industry experts predict this spring will be a seller’s market, it’s important to grab every advantage when you’re trying to sell your home. Staging – decorating a house to appeal to the broadest possible range of buyers – can make the difference between a quick sale or a long, painful linger on the market.

(NAPSI)—For enhanced curb appeal of your home, nothing beats a front door with beautiful doorglass.

Smith-Cotton Junior High School freshmen, from left, Mashayla Hern, Maite Ochoa and Tara Weng paint a temporary basketball tournament mural on the window of the junior high gymnasium on Monday evening. The girls were among several marching band, fine art, vocal and Family and Consumer Sciences (FACS) members who put their talents on display during a tour by members of the Sedalia 200 School District Board of Education. During the tour, junior high principal Wade Norton told board members “Fine arts are on the way up in this district.”

The stewards of the Uptown Theatre, 225 S. Ohio Ave., have turned to young sets of eyes for advice on how to bring this old building back to life. Eight interior design students and four instructors from the Illinois Institute of Art in Chicago visited the downtown Sedalia building on Saturday to begin tackling their major project for the semester — coming up with updated blueprints, recommendations and estimated budgets for restoration.

Here are my picks for the top 10 area entertainment stories of 2012:

“I see once again the paper picks and chooses what they put in Sedline instead of putting everything in Sedline.”

(BPT) - Despite its negative reputation, the number 13 doesn’t always have to be unlucky. Take these top 10 decor trends for 2013 from design experts, manufacturers and trend forecasters across the country. They’re fresh, fun and sure to bring good fortune to any home.

Sedalia Downtown Development Inc. is just a few thousand dollars short of restoring the Scott Joplin mural at Second Street and Ohio Avenue after receiving a grant from the Sedalia Area Tourism Commission.

(BPT) - Choosing the perfect gift for your loved ones can be a difficult task. However, you don’t have to stress about going from store to store wondering if you’re picking out the right size or color or whether it fits your budget.

The University of Central Missouri Gallery of Art and Design will present “Color Country,” an exhibit of paintings, drawings and other two-dimensional works of art by three artists Nov. 8 through Dec. 7 in Gallery 115, located in the Gallery of Art and Design at 217 E. Clark St. on the Warrensburg campus.

When Dustin Schmidt walked the halls of Smith-Cotton High School, the walls were decorated with murals created by fellow students. Now Schmidt has become the first artist to donate a piece of his own work for an alumni art hall at Smith-Cotton Junior High, housed in the former high school building.

Linda Hoover never intended to cause any problems. She just wanted to add some fun and visual excitement to her mural, which is in process on the side of the Fine Arts Building on the Missouri State Fairgrounds.

Linda Hoover is accustomed to having an enthusiastic audience for her art: She’s a caricature artist, plus her work helps get Northwest High School fans fired up before sporting events. Her painting of a Mustang adorns the side of a bus barn next to the Hughesville football field and another horse seems to burst through the brick wall of the gymnasium.

Sometimes folks overlook the second floor of the Fine Arts Building when browsing during the Missouri State Fair, but that wasn’t an issue on Wednesday night as a packed house was on hand for the “MO 50” reception.

Members of the Sedalia Visual Art Association and Mid-Missouri Artists will be the Artists in Residence at the Fine Arts Building throughout the Missouri State Fair.