MARRINGTON MURAL TO WELCOME STUDENTS

The Post & Courier - By Diane Knich

Saturday, November 27, 2010

GOOSE CREEK -- A new Lowcountry mural will greet Marrington Elementary School students when they return to school Monday.

Artist Gina Coleman is spending the weekend painting the mural in the entryway at the school on the Naval Weapons Station in Goose Creek. The mural is a natural Lowcountry scene with indigenous animals and plants, she said. Many Marrington students come from military families that move frequently. The mural will immediately introduce them to the local natural environment.

Painting a mural is a three-step process, said Coleman, who does it for a living.

First she makes a rough sketch. Then she paints the background. And finally, she "blocks" the figures she has drawn, which is essentially coloring inside the lines.

Murals are really "lots of layers," she said.

Friday was her first day of work at Marrington, and the mural looked "rough," she said. Saturday it will look "iffy." But "it will all come together on Day 3."

The mural was made possible by a donation from Coastal Kids Dental.

Dr. Isabel Driggers, owner and founder of the dental practice, said many of her patients attend Marrington. She knew school leaders wanted a mural in the entryway. And she knew Coleman did good work because she had created murals at two of Coastal Kids' three offices.

"When I heard that they have been trying to raise funds to paint a mural, I thought this would be an excellent way to help support the school" Driggers said. She especially wanted to give something to Marrington students this time of year because many of them have family members in the military who will be away from home over the holidays.

The school's mural is on a strip of wall above the reception desk just inside the front door. But Coleman said it could be expanded to adjacent walls in the future. "All murals are expandable until you run out of wall."

See the full Post & Courier article at  http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2010/nov/27/marrington-mural-to-welcome-students/

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