Abilene ? A new mural to Dwight Eisenhower looms over his hometown, using symbols of technology to portray the larger-than-life president and military leader.

Designed by Chapman artist William Counter, the 18-foot-high mural is not how most people would expect to see the former president and U.S. general portrayed. Counter used 4-inch squares to make his image, colored in eight shades of black and white. The shape was chosen to show the impact of computers and television.

“It’s pixelated, and there were a couple of reasons for doing that,” Counter said. “Eisenhower was one of the first to utilize television – he actually won an Emmy. TV was just starting to enter the home, and computers were first used to forecast a presidential election in ’52.”

Counter said he was approached by Katie Allen of the Art Council of Dickinson County to submit an idea for the mural project. While initially reluctant, he agreed after visiting the Mayo Clinic and finding inspiration.

“The Mayo Clinic prides itself on serving lots of presidents,” he said. “That’s when I settled on Ike.”

Counter then started thinking about technology, then television, computers and pixels.

“Once the idea started rolling, it became a community project, lots of people helping the image develop. I kind of came up with the conceptual idea, and then it transformed into something far better than I imagined,” he said.

Counter was assisted by Duane Schrag, Abilene resident, who wrote software to simplify an image of Eisenhower into just eight shades of black and white.

The mural, which faces south, was covered with a varnish to help it last for years before being retouched.

“You can move closer and see it dissolve, and move away and see it snap into place,” Counter said. “It’s a reason for people to get out of their cars and check out the town.”