NORTH HILLS : Mural Project Helps Break Down Walls

A dozen Monroe High School teen-agers who covered a San Diego Freeway underpass in North Hills with paint got what they deserved Monday--kudos from the Los Angeles Police Department and city officials.

Students and other volunteers have been painting two 7-by-140-foot murals on Nordhoff Street for two months as part of the LAPD’s fledgling Adopt an Underpass program. The murals were unveiled at a ceremony Monday.

Supporters see the venture as a way to beautify an area while building relationships between police and a community.

“The reason we wanted to do this was not only because the underpasses are dark to drive through, but they are also often marked with graffiti,” said LAPD Capt. Vance Proctor.

The “Underwater Transportation” murals feature a background that blends from deep purple to sky blue. Dolphins and a sea lion frolic near a “Children at Play” sign, while orange, purple and yellow sea horses drift by an area marked “Equestrian Zone.” Tropical fish, killer whales and green sea turtles also dot the seascape.

“We wanted it to be like an aquarium, so when people were entering or leaving [the underpass], it would have a calming effect,” said Michelle Obregon, a Monroe High art instructor who coordinated the student effort. The students designed the murals.

Traffic signs were included to satisfy the California Department of Transportation, which has to approve paintings along state highways.

Volunteers sought an image that was aesthetically pleasing and uncontroversial. The seascape was also a logical choice because the underpass’ porous, pock-marked surface might make the image appear fuzzy--as if viewed from underwater, Obregon said.

The murals have already generated unusual kinds of community support.

As volunteers spent about two hours each weekday and another five on weekends to paint the images, homeless people dropped by to praise them for their work. And although the site could have been a prime target for vandals when newly covered with two base coats of paint, it was never marked by graffiti.

“I really feel that because it came from the community, it gained respect in the community,” Proctor said.

Organizers say the biggest challenges came from unexpected rain and the strange texture of their oversized canvas.

“There were times I thought this is how Michelangelo must have been feeling while working on the Sistine Chapel,” said Obregon. “You just take your time. You just pound your brush against the wall.

“We went through a lot of brushes.”

The $3,000 cost for supplies was approved by the City Council and came from Los Angeles’ General Fund. Volunteers used 60 gallons of paint and more than 70 brushes.

“Once they [students] got out there, I think they realized the ramifications of what they were doing and took pride in it,” said Obregon. “And when people would drive by and honk and yell ‘Great job!’ it was instant gratification.”

Authorities hope to paint four additional murals on San Fernando Valley underpasses during the next five years. San Diego Freeway underpasses at Lassen, Parthenia and Plummer streets have been suggested as likely sites, Proctor said.

“We deal with a lot of tragedies in our business--death and dying, the shattering of people’s lives,” said Proctor. “This was personally very rewarding. It was a very win-win situation for everyone.”