Mural on 5/16/07

Mural on 5/8/07

Mural on 5/2/07

Mural on 4/25/07

Mural on 4/21/07

Mural on 4/17/07

Mural on 4/11/07

Mural on 3/29/07

Dedicated Artists Paint Outside Class

After School Studio; Wednesday, March 28 2007

Art Students Begin Painting

Emma and Jacob begin painting the sky while Tyler adds detail to the plane. Jessica is busy drawing one of many framed photographs in the mural. Posted above the mural are photographs and other reference material used by the artists.

Color Scheme Selected

Advanced Studio Artists viewed several paintings by Thomas Hart Benton, Diego Rivera, and Judith Baca in order to select a color scheme for the mural. After viewing these works, students chose a color scheme for the mural based on a painting by Thomas Hart Benton, entitled July Hay. The class felt that the color scheme found in Benton's July Hay contained the warm hues needed for the sunset and field in the mural.

In researching "lightfast" colors, (colors that resist fading in sunlight), it was noted that cadmium red tends to be more likely to fade. Therefore, for the Newark Mural, instead of using bright red hues, the reds will be more "rust colored".

View the Design!

Click Here For A Larger, More Detailed View Of The Mural's Design!
A digital rendering and description can be viewed by following the link above.

Preliminary Sketches

Preliminary sketches drawn by Tyler. The mural will be built upon this background image. The cart and horse will be located in the lower left corner of the mural.

Gesso Applied

On Friday March 9th, the Advanced Studio Class primed the wooden panels with gesso. Gesso is a white primer that helps to seal the wood and leaves a slight texture which helps the paint stick. Special thanks to Crystal for applying the two additional coats after school!

Wood Panels Cut

On Tuesday the Advanced Studio Class, under the guidance of Mr. Meier, cut the wood panels for the mural. The outer dimenions will be 13'4" X 5'8". This will allow for a frame to be created along the inside edge of the panels.

The frame will serve the purpose of connecting the panels, and create the look of a "picture frame". The idea of a picture frame will be used in the mural, as many of collaged photographs will be painted within picture frames. Special thanks to Mr. Meier for his time and expertise!

Mural Dimensions

The mural dimensions will be 13'4"X 5'8". This provides enough room for the artist's to work side-by-side, and will have the height to accommodate the road that will be painted.

Local Historian Visits Class

On Friday, February 23rd, the Advanced Studio class had the opportunity to meet with local historian, Mr. Lewis Huntley. Mr. Huntley discussed various highlights from Newark's history while displaying to the class a wood carving by Joe Dillett. This wood carving was commissioned in 2004 as part of the Newarks of the World reunion. Students gained valuable insight into Newark's history while viewing an artist's interpretation of these significant landmarks. To see this elaborate wood carving in full detail click here. Use your browser's scrollbar to "scroll" horizontally through the image.

Field Trip To Ottawa

The Advanced Studio Class took a field trip on Wednesday to view the murals in Ottawa, Illinois. This proved to be an invaluable experience as NCHS Advanced Studio Artists were able to get an up-close look at these large scale works of art. While studying the murals, students discussed the use of composition, contrast, color and unity. Many of our observations centered around content and symbolism. We also compared painting styles among the various murals. Upon our return to Newark, we spent time brainstorming the structure and content of the Newark Community Mural. View additional images from our field trip here.

Composition and Symbolism

While the Sociology Class begins to study the results of the survey, the Advanced Studio Class discusses the mural's composition. The composition will provide the underlying structure for the mural. Shown here are some sketches from our brainstorming session last week. The strong symbolism of a road moving from "Past" to "Present" to "Future", developed by Emma and Ashley, will continue to play a part in the mural's overall design. The addition of "picture frames" will serve to organize the various images.

Mural Project Survey

The Newark Community Mural Project Online Survey was completed on February 19th, 2007. The Advanced Studio and Sociology Classes will now begin to analyze the results and narrow down designs and options. We greatly appreciate your feedback and ideas for a design. Thank you for your participation!

Past & Present

Digital collages of Newark's Past and Present created by Emma.

Emma and Ashley Initiate the Project

Last year, Emma and Ashley initiated the Newark Mural in Sociology Class. They worked hard to establish contacts within the community and create drawings and digital renderings. Together, they generated excitement about the project through their presentation on Awards Night. The ideas included in their large-scale sketch and computer renderings will be used in the final design.

This year the project has grown to include the following Advanced Studio Artists
(Next to their name are art classes they have taken )
•Emma Miller: (continues her work from last year): Art I, Drawing, Ceramics, Painting, Multimedia, and Computer Graphics.
•Jessica Christensen: Art I, Drawing, Painting, Multimedia.
•Crystal Nieland: Art I, Drawing, Ceramics, Painting, Multimedia.
•Tyler Vickroy: Art I, Drawing, Ceramics, Painting, Multimedia, Computer Graphics and Advanced Studio.
•Jacob Young: Art I, Drawing, Ceramics, Painting, Multimedia, and Computer Graphics.

Pictured above are images from last year's Sociology Presentation on Awards Night, a large-scale sketch created by Emma, and a digital rendering of the Mural idea.