LOCAL COLOR

The Magnet Office has a new mural. The mural is called Local Color. It is a symbol of learning. The point of it was to get kids involved in art, because the Magnet is not only a school of higher learning, but also an arts/technology program. The mural was originally a drawing made by Ms. Hayward. Ms. Hayward is an artist outside of school. She is very into brains and landscape. The mural was thought of during the Spring of 2006. They painted it when A Track went off which was July and August of 2006 and it took 106 ½ hours to complete. It cost about $200.00 to finish it. The people who painted the mural were not professional painters; they were students of the Magnet. They are Armine Kalagian, Maya Ramos, Terrence Bautista, Ingrid Measures, Kim Thath, and Gordey Peraperchka.

The mural is made up of neurons (brain cells). Most kids thought that the mural was made up of trees or it was a forest. The kind of technique they used for the mural is Atmospheric Density, which means that the warm, earthy colors are in the back and the bright, lively colors are in the front. The mural was painted with acrylics. The shading on the mural was the hardest part according to Terrence, Ms. Hayward, and Maya. When I asked Ms. Hayward if she was satisfied with the mural she said, “Yes, for the experience and no, because I am a perfectionist, but I am still very proud of it.”

The Magnet Office is much more noticed now. People really look when they pass by. I don’t know how this mural will be like in the future, but it really makes you take a second look and wonder what it really is. “You’ll never miss the magnet office again,” says Armine Kalagian.