ON THE BIG SCREEN WINDOW. In recent years, the window murals at Micon Cinemas have drawn folks in nearly as much as the movies showing inside. Cici Thomas, pictured, has been the Chippewa Falls theater's muralist for about a decade.

Moviegoers and devoted cinephiles at Micon Cinemas in Chippewa Falls may have noticed the delicately crafted, vibrant flick-inspired murals on the theater’s windows.

The idea to promote film showings beyond traditional movie posters originally sparked several years ago, when a former employee with a passion for drawing inquired about painting the theater windows. Since then, the tradition has become a staple at Micon’s Chippewa Falls location. Artist Cici Thomas has taken on the feat of capturing film on glass with acrylic paint since she was a high school sophomore in 2015.

Surrounded by a colorful arsenal of washable acrylic paints and an array of brushes, Thomas faces a unique challenge: she paints everything backwards.

“It makes me so happy that I’m able to share the joy of art with others,” Thomas said. “I feel like, especially in today’s age with the rise of theft practices like generative AI ‘art,’ people take real artists and their work for granted. I want to show that even something as small as a window painting can put a smile on someone’s face. Nothing will ever beat the human spirit to create something from scratch, and that should be celebrated.”

Though the window paintings are temporary, the process is rigorous, she said. On the short end, a single window painting can take five to seven hours, while larger works – spanning three windows – can take more than 15 hours to complete.

Before she even picks up a brush, Thomas dives into research for inspiration – watching trailers and browsing movie posters to sketch out what will come to life on glass. Once a plan is made, she begins by sketching on the window using a mixture of black paint diluted with water.

“Each painting is shaded from the darkest shade to the lightest. I go color by color until everything is filled in, and then I outline each character and the logo with white to make it pop,” Thomas said.

What initially began as a marketing endeavor has since brought movie lovers and the local community together. For Thomas, the true joy comes from the interactions and connections that form out of a shared love for art.

Surrounded by a colorful arsenal of washable acrylic paints and an array of brushes, Thomas faces a unique challenge: she paints everything backwards.

“I’ve been painting for about ten years now, so I’ve learned how to write my entire alphabet backwards just from painting lettered logos,” she said. “Some characters have specific details on only one side of their body, like clothing or other designs. I have to remember to do them backwards so they’ll show up right when you walk by outside.”

What initially began as a marketing endeavor has since brought movie lovers and the local community together. For Thomas, the true joy comes from the interactions and connections that form out of a shared love for art.

“People always take pictures of themselves and their kids standing in front of the paintings, and that’s something I’ll never get tired of seeing,” Thomas said. “When I’m inside painting, customers will sit and watch me work – some will even come up and ask me about my process and inspirations. I really appreciate that my art can get others interested and spark creative conversations.”

Snag tickets for the next must-see flick at Micon Cinemas – which has four locations: Micon Cinema Eau Claire (3109 Mall Dr.), Micon Downtown Cinema (315 S. Barstow St.), Micon Cinemas Oakwood (4800 Golf Rd.), and Micon Cinemas Chippewa Falls (475 Chippewa Mall Dr.) – and make sure you get there early to check out the latest film-inspired window murals.