Sunrise on the Pacific

       We needed to wrap up all the environmentl theme at Arminta on this huge wall.  

This bright new day should inspire all the kids to really wake up and embrace the new day!

 

Deconstructing Mondrian

   Arminta Elementary in North Hollywood hasn't run out of walls or ideas for themes so they wanted to brighten up the playground with an appropriate theme celebrating kids recess on this wall.  Inspired by Mondrian art I thought we could try something completely new for me.  I was pleasantly surprised how many raves I got for the modern style. 

Return to Pinewood

 We can’t stay away from this adorable preschool in Tujunga, CA. We feel like family after completing our second large mural project. Last year’s project was on all the classrooms of one side  The teachers on the other side say, “What about us!” So we returned!  Everyone gave their input on themes and modifying input as we painted so it turned into a partnership project. 

 

A View from the Window

     Pinewood Early Education Center has some beautiful outdoor play spaces but they definitely needed some brightening up!   The principal got some funding and gave us a call. The kids are definitely thrilled to move in and make themselves at home!  The teachers want to have their lunch by the waterfall!

                                                                            Before

The Power of Yet

 Glenwood Elementary, the school where I taught for 20 years and where my post retirement career began, was ready for something new and bright to be added to their mural collection. The principal wanted to encourage kids with a concept that was once conceived on Sesame Street, the power of yet. Powerful words but what kind of a background would bring so many words to life?  The concept of power reminded me of a mural we did about outer space and galaxies, its unimaginable beauty and power. I loved seeing the kids attracted to the colors and then reading the words.  I hope they carry that message with them as they face the challenges ahead. I know I have and will continue to do so. 

Soar with the Hawks!

 Vinedale Elementary School is a lovely school situated in the canyons of Sun Valley, California where the hawks are to be seen flying overhead daily and nesting in their trees. So, naturally their mascot is the hawk and they wanted a mural with their hawk as the center of attention. I asked how big. Big! Bigger!  No, bigger! We projected the seven foot tall hawk on the eight foot tall wall. Oh, the principal forgot to mention she wanted the hawk to be made of the handprints of the children and faculty! Wow! That is a vision I did not see coming! I slept on it while my mind tried to imagine how it would all come together and thankfully it did. Did you know latex gloves come in all sizes from age 4 to adult small and large?  That made dipping each one of nearly 300 hands into a dish with paint easy with no clean up mess. Whew! Over three weeks we worked together to make this amazing 30 foot wall come to life and  the Vinedale Hawks are very proud of their new mural. 

Keep Raining in this Forest

 Arminta Elementary school can’t get enough of the beauty of the rainforest. Two years ago we brightened the campus with a giant 36 x 12 foot mural of the rainforest during the pandemic shutdown. Now the kids wanted more! They created a tranquil corner on campus to sit and read or just chat with friends under these trees and helped paint more rainforest. They also planted flowers and painted the pots. They sit and dream the birds they hear singing are in the rainforest!  Even the local birds love it!

Keep dreaming

 Children are encouraged to keep dreaming about the possibilities that lie ahead for them at Vinedale Elementary and College Preparatory Middle School. The children in 6-8 grade all participated in beautifying their school with this mural. 

                          Nature rules at Arminta Early Education Center

  This beautiful preschool in North Hollywood, CA wanted to enhance their center by creating murals on all the four walls of their building.  The theme of nature in the murals enhances the atmosphere and the center of their nature curriculum.  It was our privilege to be a part of this delightful center for over 150 hours as we painted and interacted with the faculty and children. 

 

California Environments

 The Covid shutdown goes on and on and so did mural painting at Arminta Elementary School. We developed a design for three walls facing the Kindergarten rooms with a theme of California environments, the desert, the mountains and the ocean. Then the principal wanted more so we did the Redwood Forest facing the playground. We missed the kids participation but they were very excited to see the new murals when they returned the last few weeks in the spring of 2021.

 

The Rainforest is Alive

     COVID-19 changed everything as we knew it. After a few weeks of wondering what one would do when all the best laid plans were put on hold I got a wonderful call from Arminta Elementary School.  Although we would not be able to work with children we could safely work on the mural we had planned months before. We finally got to do the rainforest mural that was on my wish list for years!  We enjoyed the morning shade on the wall, the peace in the neighborhood and the sound of scores of birds singing in the trees. There was no rush to finish so we just relaxed and enjoyed the moment in time this virus gave us    When the children do return they will be thrilled with the new addition to their yard  

 

Costa Rica

 March of 2020 saw us traveling through Costa Rica absorbing all the beauty of nature. While visiting family and trying to decide if we stay as planned or return early due to COVID-19 a family member thought we could brighten up their patio with a mural!  Why not?  A quick sketch, inspiration from the travels and all hands on deck!  Three days transformed this dull beige wall into a wonderful backdrop for entertaining or just relaxing in a hammock. 

Flournoy Elementary

   Once again Kaiser Permanente came through with great project to beautify a school in south central Los Angeles and called on me to help develop the idea and lead the execution of the mural part.  And again there were some new challenges and learning moments!  Flournoy Elementary School is just blocks from the famous Watts Towers and accordingly we wanted to include some element of mosaic in our mural. We also wanted to incorporate the school mascot, the tiger, as well as the name of the school with a backdrop of the L.A. area. Small order!  I kind of wanted to make a welcoming image of the tiger after all it’s already a jungle out there in the city.  School should feel safe and secure. Projecting the scaled drawing to the walls was the next hurdle since we only worked in daylight. But we finally got it drawn. In preparation for the big Kaiser work day, Martin Luther King Day, when some 50 people show up to work we had to outline every part of the mural and mark what color to paint each little part of the mosaic.  So different than previous murals!  I feel like every mural is more special than the last but they are each unique and special own. 

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Community Project

The fall of 2019 I met with my neighbor, Steven Payne, to plan his community project to become an Eagle Scout.  He wanted to return to his elementary school in Burbank to beautify the worn out handball courts at Edison Elementary.  The city thankfully replaced the worn out panels and primed them for us.  In a matter of one month we agreed on a environmental theme, drew the pictures, organized students and community volunteers and worked hard painting to finish it all by Halloween.  When all the parents came out to see their children in the parade they were blown away by the new murals shining brightly.  Burbank city sprayed them with a clear coat to protect them from UV rays and grafitti.

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109th Street School

Another school year began in 2018 and we began to plan for a STEAM lab at 109th St. Elementary in L.A.  Martin Luther King Day in 2019 fifty Kaiser employees and an equal number of community and student volunteers showed up to beautify their school.  My right hand man, husband Ricky, was there behind the scene washing brushes, refilling paint cups and keeping things flowing smoothly .

   
     

 

  

This land is your land

Edison Elementary is excited to add a companion mural to their playground.  Continuing in our “Van Gogh” style we chose to highlight the beauty of our country from east coast to the west, from the Statue of Liberty to the Golden Gate Bridge. The 4th and 5th graders are very proud of the work they’ve done.

William Barrett Elementary School, Los Angeles

         So excited to be working again with Kaiser Permanente on a new kind of project. William Barrett Elementary School dreamed of having a library especially for the upper grades. When a large classroom became available they proposed their vision to Kaiser and together we worked on a plan to create a space dedicated to learning.  Above all the shelving for new books we designed murals related to the environment that students will be studying.  I worked with Kaiser employees in mid December to lay out the basic background for our big community paint day on January 15th and came in the week before to do some drawings.  The big day was organized chaos but as usual an amazing positive experience.  For two more weeks I worked on detailing and invited 4th and 5th graders to join in on the project to "make it their own."  It was so exciting to see the shelves full and celebrate the dedication of the new library March 9th.  As all the guests walked in they gasped and a collective "Wow" was all that could be heard.  It took a lot of participation from many different people and the project definitely turned out to be way more than any of us could have imagined. 

Glenwood Gets an Update

Surprise!  We came back to school in September and discovered our Super Stars mural was gone!  Deteriorated siding on the classroom led the district to come out and replace the whole side of the building so we decided to make lemonade out of these lemons. Over the past year Kaiser had come out to Glenwood to present their motivational programs about literacy and conflict resolution. We combined all that with the school mascot reminding kids to be safe, respectful and responsible in a new 5th grade graduation gift to the school.  Just another unexpected opportunity to beautify the school and continue our legacy of encouraging students to be the best they can be!

Kaiser Permanente Adds Mural to Project

This school year Kaiser Permanente came to Glenwood School to present shows encouraging positive conflict resolution and the importance of literacy in our lives.  They saw the murals we have done as a community there and called me to work with them extending their community work with murals.  It has been a great experience working with the people at Weigand Elementary School in Watts and the Kaiser community.