It was one of the first major works of art to be incorporated into the design of an office building erected for a private business in Houston.  The architect included in his plans, a 620 sq. ft. curved wall to feature a major mural that would represent the motto of the company, "The Future Belongs to Those Who Prepare for It."  Originally, the artist chosen was Mexican muralist Diego Rivera, but he was quickly rejected by the CEO because of controversy over Rivera's Communist beliefs.  CEO, Charles Fleetwood said he wanted "someone from the southwest who knows its people, respects the industry and has faith in this country and it's system of government."  And this is how Peter Hurd came to be the artist for this major work of art.
    Peter imagined a harvest scene in the front yard of a farmhouse, under a spreading live oak.  The background was intended to incorporate the entire region overseen by the new Prudential office -the flat bayou country of the Louisiana Texas gulf, changing gradually to the middle Texas-Oklahoma landscape and then to the dry ranching country of New Mexico and west Texas.
   Naturally, all of the people in the mural were drawn from life.  Peter included his daughter Carol, carrying the fruit basket and his son Mikey watching a cowpuncher repair a saddle.  Peter even painted himself into the mural as the man standing next to the truck talking to the soil conservationist.

    The Prudential Building later became part of the M.D. Anderson Medical Complex.  In 2002, however, the Hurd Gallery became aware of plans to demolish the building to make room for a new cancer center.  Through the efforts of Michael Hurd, the Houston Chronicle and many other friends and volunteers, word spread that the mural was in jeopardy.  We are proud to announce that after years of hard work, the mural is currently being restored and relocated to its new home In Artesia, New Mexico.  Our sincere thanks go out to all those who worked so tirelessly to save this irreplaceable work of art.

   While working on the Houston Mural, Peter Hurd and his assistants were working amidst a crowd of onlookers and workmen, as the ground floor of the building itself was not completed.  When asked how he could stand having people watching over his shoulder, Peter said, "I get a lot of help from some of these people."  For instance, the day Peter painted a scene featuring himself and a soil conservationist standing next to a truck, there was an older fellow in the crowd of onlookers who noticed that Peter had forgotten to paint a handle on the door of the truck.
   In fact, his talent not withstanding, Peter's charm and wit won over most of the company's staff over the course of the project.  One day, the CEO happened by and asked, "Pete, why haven't you included me in the mural?"  Peter pointed to a tiny boat with a man fishing in the upper left-hand corner of the mural.  "You're not very observant Charlie.  It's a perfect characterization of you.  Here everybody is working like hell, and there you are fishing."
   One thing Peter did not appreciate, for obvious reasons, was anyone touching or shaking the ladder or scaffold while he was working.  One day, he was painting away when his ladder commenced to shake, causing Peter to react like an angry spider whose web has been disturbed.  Mounting the ladder was a pudgy, hefty, fat character smoking a cigar.  "Where's your union card?" inquired the sweaty, little man. 
   Maintaining his composure, Peter replied, "My friend, I am not a painter, I am an artist."
   "Don't make no difference," grumbled the union man, "you paintin' dat wall ain'tcha?  To paint walls in this here buildin' you gotta have a card."
   Deciding to diffuse the situation and be rid of this annoying little man as soon as possible, Peter asked,
"How much will it cost me?"
   The union man took a deep puff on his cigar and blurted, "Twenty-five bucks for an apprentice like you."
   Under different circumstances the man would probably have left with a fat lip.  But fortunately, Peter paid for his "apprentice union card" and was able to complete the project without further incident.

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