Justin Christenbery spent four days painting a cougar mural on the gymnasium wall at Cornelius Elementary School, donating his time and talent to the school his two children attend.

Christenbery, a downtown Cornelius resident and artist with more than 20 years of experience, completed the mural at the school, Cornelius Today reported. The painting depicts the school's cougar mascot and reflects its "Big Three" motto: Be responsible. Be respectful. Be an active learner.

The idea started five years ago, when Christenbery's oldest son began kindergarten at the school. He originally planned to donate artwork to a new school approved in the 2023 Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools bond referendum. But with no formal timeline for that project's start, he worked with Cornelius Elementary and its PTO to bring the mural to the existing campus instead.

The mural took four days.

It now covers an interior gymnasium wall where students pass through daily. Christenbery told Cornelius Today the finished piece means more to him than gallery placement.

"That means far more to me than having my work in a prestigious gallery, because this painting will truly live in a way that living-room art never can," Christenbery said.

He said completing the project "became an experience of deep gratitude for a school and community that value the arts." Christenbery hopes students encounter the painted cougar the way they might stumble upon a real one in the wild, describing it as "a moment of unexpected connection with another living presence."

The new school that first inspired the project remains in early stages. A December 2025 Cornelius Downtown Master Plan FAQ noted the elementary school "has not yet been designed" and that the conceptual illustration shown in the downtown plan came from the 2023 bond referendum, not a formal design.

Christenbery's artist website lists solo shows at Old Town Public House and Kādi, both in Cornelius. He graduated from Appalachian State University in 2004. His paintings have been sold internationally and commissioned for public and private spaces.

The mural is now on display inside the Cornelius Elementary gymnasium at 21130 Catawba Ave.