Rondout Valley High School Mural Pt. 1

Back in 2007 I graduated from Rondout Valley High School. During my time as a student there I failed multiple (art) classes.. Fast forward 9 years and I was invited back to Rondout to paint a 30 foot mural on the back end of the tech wing along the new 3rd St. entrance.

Through the tireless efforts of Sara Touri whom I rode the morning bus with turned Middle School Art teacher she was able to bring a new public work of art to a place that needs it most, our schools.

Just look at the wall, ugly as hell right?

One base coat and it already looks 100x better

Before I could get started on the mural Rondout Valley School invited me to be a part of community share day. This is a day where professionals in varying fields come into the school and educate groups of children on what it is they do. During the day 5 classes of 15 or more students came in to listen to me speak. Looking for ways to incorporate the children into my mural I asked each class if they could help me out and draw (or write) anything on their mind when presented the concept of what they would like to see painted on the future mural. By the end of the day I had over 80 drawings to gather inspiration from

My concept sketch was approved, paints have arrived, and weather is perfect, lets begin..

First thing is to get the schools mascot, a Gander, in there flying high above some cliffs:

After some light "vandalism" I held back and put the cans in the teachers hands

Next was to get some of the kids down on the wall

Next day Sara Touri brought some more of her students to come out and see the murals progression

Look out for Pt. 2 of this post for all the final mural photos!