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BUENA PARK : Mural by 24 Students Shaping Up

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As a light rain begins to fall, Lisa Miles takes a step back and carefully surveys her artwork--a purple “uni-fin.”

“It is half unicorn and half fish,” the 14-year-old burst out with a giggle. “I make a lot of weird names for my creations. I am a very weird person.”

But mixed in with the smiling sharks and multicolored fish, the uni-fin looks very much at home. It is part of a 170-foot mural--the first in the city--designed and painted by 24 students from Buena Park Junior High.

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“These kids here are really focused,” said artist Michael Wright, who is guiding the project. “I think it is going to look great.”

In hopes of giving youngsters more of an appreciation for the visual arts, the city Fine Arts Commission hired Wright to help students with the mural. The students were handpicked to participate in the project and spent as much as 21 hours of school time creating the nautical mural at Peak Park pool area.

“It gives students an investment in the community,” said Joanne Evans of the fine arts department about the mural project. “It is important for the kids.”

What became a giant seascape began as nothing more than a piece of paper and an idea. Each student was responsible for a section of the giant mural.

Wright says he believes that everyone can draw, and he tries to prove it. The youngsters handled everything from sanding the wall to the final touches, which they are completing this week.

“Drawing is a skill. It is 2% talent and 98% hard work,” said Wright, who also teaches art classes. “I believe God gave everyone 2% talent.”

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After changing into old shirts, aprons and paint-covered smocks, the students haul paints, tarp and other supplies from a storage shed to the mural.

“What are we going to do today?” one asks.

“It is raining,” another student complains.

They are nearing the end of the project and some are anxious to see it completed. After Wright doles out the daily tasks, he finishes with a pep talk.

“We got the whole thing looking pretty good. But there are things we can do to make it look better,” he said over a few groans.

After settling down, the youngsters begin their assignments. Seventh-grader Julie Yoon paints bubbles near a walrus, and says she is proud of her work.

“I accomplished my goal,” says Yoon, 13.

Adds Erin Stevenson: “I didn’t think it would be easy. But I didn’t think it would be this hard.”

An official unveiling of the mural is scheduled for sometime in April.

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