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Elements of nature are wellspring for students' creations

By Sandy Mouat
CORRESPONDENT

Peeking out from behind wildflowers, amid trees and grasses, the furry, the winged and the web-toed that are native to California are now represented in a vibrant, colorful and imaginative new mural at Springhill Elementary School. The students created the flora and fauna under the direction of renowned Oakland artist George Sommers. The project was coordinated by the Lafayette Arts & Science Foundation.
        To begin the creative process, the teachers either assigned subjects according to the student's ability and interest in art, or allowed the students to pick their own. They gave them different sizes of paper, according to the size of their plant or animal, in an attempt to scale the subjects properly.
        Using field guides as reference material, the students drew their subjects. The kindergarten classes drew butterflies, insects and some very simple wildflowers, including the California poppy and miner's lettuce. The second grade classes drew wildflowers, reptiles and small birds while the fourth grade class drew mammals, large and small birds, trees and grasses.
        Meanwhile, using a dry brush technique, Sommers created the background scenes which capture the mystical quality of the woodland habitats with an unfinished edge effect. The result is a smooth fade between scenes that accentuates the mysterious connection between these animals in nature. His next step was to meticulously arrange the students' finished pictures on the canvas background, taking into consideration the actual placement of these plants and animals in nature. He then drew an outline of each student's creation onto the mural backgrounds. Later, the students found their outlined pictures on the canvas and with acrylic paints, colored them in according to their original designs.
        Michael Medina, a fourth grade student in Jack McInerny's class said, "I think this project has been very interesting because I really like art. I like to draw a lot, and it only took me about a minute to decide on my subject. This was pretty cool."
        Due to the number of students participating in this project, the classes were color-coded and staggered , in order to prevent crowding during the final painting process. As each class completed its portion of the project, a dynamic depiction of California land animals in their natural habitats began to emerge.
        Sommers is a UC Berkeley art major who has worked locally in design and art for more than 35 years. While most of his works hang in private homes, several can be seen in the Montclair Presbyterian Church in Oakland, where he holds two shows per year. His latest is an exhibition of surrealistic collage works. He is currently involved in planning the silent auction of 12 of his paintings at the Cinco de Mayo Bolivian Fiesta, a benefit to be held at the church. Although he has been involved in other community projects over the years, this is only his second time he has worked with the Lafayette students. Their understanding of the project and careful approach to the work impressed him.
        "You can tell these kids have respect for each other's work," said Sommers. He is looking forward to returning in May to work with the rest of the student body on the second part of this project. It will be a slightly more difficult mural composed of those plants and animals living in or around water, including rivers, marshes, San Francisco Bay, and the ocean.
        "The mural was a fun project for the students and will be a colorful addition to the multi-purpose room and most important, has given the students some awareness of plants and animals in their community," said LASF's Julie Mitchell. "The children loved some of the names like Red-breasted Sapsucker and Brown-headed Cowbird, wildflowers such as Dame's Rocket and Goatsbeard, and reptiles like Gilbert's Skink and California Legless Lizard."
        Kim Zamolo, another of McInerny's fourth graders said, "I think it's been really fun to do, and it's great to have a mural for newcomers to see the project and what we've done."

5/08/02 Reprinted with permission. Visit the Contra Costa Times on the web at www.contracostatimes.com.

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