EVANSTON — On four windows of the old Schofield’s building at the corner of 10th and Front streets, there are some fresh paintings marking the upcoming Evanston Cowboy Days held over Labor Day weekend. The paintings are the work of local artist Michelle Gomez, who is hoping to win the prize money for window décor competition sponsored by the Cowboy Days committee.

“I love painting,” Gomez said. “I don’t have to think about it, and it is easy for me. I have been a professional artist for 10 years. I’ve displayed most of my work in Salt Lake City, [including] murals, charcoal portraits, and oil and acrylic paintings placed for sale in coffee shops and restaurants.”

She was commissioned to paint seven murals featuring Wyoming landscapes and wildlife for the new campus at the Wyoming State Hospital. Gomez said she would like to do more murals on walls and buildings in Evanston so she attached her business card to the painted windows.

Gomez is originally from California and has lived in Evanston for 11 years. She took art classes in high school in Utah, but she is mostly self-taught. On murals, Gomez works with acrylic paint and oil-based markers. On the windows, she used acrylic and chalk markers, which can all be washed off.

Gomez’s sister-in-law, Evelyn Gomez, assists her with prepping the windows for painting, taping, setting up and helping with some of the detail work.

“She’s the muscle,” Michelle Gomez said. “We started on the windows at 6 p.m. and finished at a little past midnight. The streetlight made everything look yellow, so we came back the next morning to see if we got the colors right. It was awesome; they looked so cool!”