Exciting and colorful projects are in the works for the RAHS community; for the past few months, seniors Oren Wolfe and Naveena Srinivasan have been hard at work creating their respective murals. Located in the D and E wings of RAHS, both artists said they were motivated to add color to the school’s recently renovated white and gray walls.

Wolfe’s mural is dedicated to the Family and Consumer Sciences (FACS) classrooms located in E wing, where he said his main goal is to represent as many people as he can through color and illustration.

“We want to show that the FACS Department is welcoming and accessible to everybody, and display the variety of skills that can be learned and honed here,” Wolfe said.

At this point in the school year, Wolfe is about halfway through the process and hopes to finish his mural by June. He has gotten through the designing and sketching phase, and has just begun painting the details.

With the end of senior year approaching, Wolfe is busy with schoolwork and graduation plans, and said it’s been hard to balance a mural in the middle of it all.

“I think the hardest part has just been finding time to paint. I’ve been very busy with school and life, and I can usually find only one day a week to be here with Mr. Tinsley [his art advisor],” Wolfe said.

However, Wolfe said his favorite part so far has been the painting stage, stating that, “It’s really fun to be here on a Saturday with a friend or two, just painting for hours.”

Srinivasan’s mural is located in the D wing music commons, where its colorful designs can be seen down the hall as soon as you enter. Srinivasan is seeking to brighten up the space, as she noted that it is relatively dull and gray after the renovations.

“…[the mural is] pretty hard to miss, which is kind of the point,” Srinivasan said.

Beginning with core elements of music in school and ending with music in the professional world, Srinivasan’s mural covers a flow of music through time. In addition, it tells a story of musical evolution from classical and traditional to modern and experimental.

“When I talked to Mr. Denned and Mr. McKnight, the two band teachers, they really wanted a mural that shows that anybody and everybody can be part of that experience, so my mural is abstract and up to interpretation,” she said.

So far, Srinivasan has completed two out of the three layers she has planned for the mural, and said that the hardest part has been trusting herself that it will look good in the end. In addition, the tedious work of drawing and redrawing has been difficult.

“It’s a trust-the-process kind of work which is really fun but also very stressful,,” Srinivasan said.

All in all, Srinivasan has thoroughly enjoyed the process, especially when she is able to paint with friends. She said her favorite part has been watching people stop to admire or comment on her work, the spectators ranging from close friends to complete strangers.

Srinivasan plans to finish by May 1st, hoping to unveil her piece on the band’s senior concert night, so be on the lookout.