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	Vol.7, No 51, November 29, 1999
	Mural brings nature to life By Don Weberg Daily Forty-Niner Cal State Long Beach art students are bringing some of California's most famous landscapes to life in a mural titled "Flora and Fauna Rein Supreme," at the Long Beach Veterans Affairs Hospital. Thirteen CSULB students enrolled in Mural Painting created the artwork, which is 125 feet by 9 feet and is expected to be unveiled at a reception Dec. 18. Professor Jen Grey is heading the project. "I've always been interested in murals and I was excited to see this class offered," said Michelle Groat, a junior majoring in ceramics. Yosemite's mighty rock formations, waterfalls and trees transcend to soft, desert landscapes with brown sands and thorny cacti in the painting. Rolling hills and vines mark a transition from the sandy deserts to California's wine country. The state's northern coastline is the last image depicted in the mural. Not only is the state's geographical diversity depicted in the mural, but so is its animal life. Animals roaming their native habitats can be spotted throughout the artwork. "It's fun to know you're affecting someone's life," said Lori Slocomb, a graduate student majoring in painting. "It's a [sign of our] success that we're doing it." Ovidio Federici, a student in the class, initially helped to conceptualize the project. With the input he received from other classmates, the mural gained its own identity. "It's not 100 percent my proposal," Federici said. "I have mixed feelings about the project. I felt my idea was the most difficult to realize. But once we all got into it, it was happening." The project was divided into four sections, and small groups of students worked on each area. Each section is divided by a group of trees, redwoods, cacti and palm trees. Federici said he wanted viewers to feel like they are close to nature. He also said he wanted to emphasize nature, not humanity. "Flora and fauna are supreme, not people," he said. Grey said she was happy with the way the team came together and worked to get the project off the ground. "I'm proud of this project," Grey said. "They're a great group to work with." Students involved in the project are eligible for several awards sponsored by the CSULB Foundation for team spirit, mural fellowship and best mural proposal.		Cristian Vera Aleman/ Daily Forty-Niner CSULB students Haley Doty, painting and drawing fine arts major, work on a class project, a full wall mural for the inside of the  Veterans Affairs Hospital on Seventh Street in Long Beach.                                                     Net bookstore denies deceit   Mural brings nature to life   H.B. surfers blame illness on water Religion hitting schools   Drug abuse is baby abuse   Holidays ending More weekday video picks   Motherly review   Soul Wax serves diverse musical platter with release Giambi enters hall Fall 99 ISSUES DAILY 49ER HOMEPAGE
Forty-Niner Publications, Department of Journalism, California State University, Long Beach ©1999 All rights reserved.