The Library Mural Projects is intended to liven up the library, making it a more comfortable and aesthetically pleasing place, while encouraging positive values through our art. As of right now, the library (at least the part that we’re working in) is bare and unappealing. We want to make it into a space that is pleasant, lively and energizing so that it encourages students to spend time in the library and work hard. As for the pieces themselves, we want to inspire positive values in school, such as creativity, curiosity and leadership and demonstrate a positive attitude and school spirit.
Our target audience is all the users of the library (the students of Sacred Heart). Our school is very diverse and our library is a hub for all different kinds of students with different backgrounds, ethnicities, languages, cultures, sexualities, gender identities and physical and mental abilities. It is impossible to include and represent every single individual in our art, so we should focus instead on an umbrella under which every student can stand. Topics, concepts and ideas that focus on a general sentiment, rather than a certain type of individual won’t exclude anyone, which will make the library a much more welcoming and inviting place for all students who might not feel represented in other parts of the school. By displaying a sentiment or an idea that everyone can get behind, we are creating a sense of community, unity and acceptance among our students from all different environments and circumstances.
My piece was meant to exhibit enthusiasm. I wanted the tone to be exciting and energetic, while representing the aforementioned values of creativity, curiosity and leadership. I wanted the piece to be slightly abstract and surreal to represent the creativity aspect (hence the eyeball and the way it blends into the accretion disk of the black hole). I chose the piece to be space themed because I love space and I believe that the study of space perfectly encapsulates the values that we strive to demonstrate in school. To me, the study of space represents ambition, curiosity, intelligence, leadership and creative thinking, all of which are values that can be represented in all the departments of our school (arts, sciences, sports, etc.). My creative process went relatively smooth since I was working alone and was able to explore and expand my own ideas to the fullest. I had my heart set on a space theme pretty much right away and decided on the astronaut after a sketch that I was pleased with. I didn’t have any references or inspirations (I usually don’t) because I find the result to be more organic and better display my original idea when I work alone. As for colours, I struggled at first but found myself gravitating towards a warm, dark palette that I have used in some of my past pieces. I feel that this colour palette was able to illustrate enthusiasm (which I associate with warm, bright colours), while not being too bright and distracting.
