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Local News

Friday, August 14, 2009

Artist has plenty of helpers
Angela Bateson DDS Dentist
By MICHELLE REITER

STAFF WRITER

MILLER CITY -- Oscar Velasquez says murals are not just pretty pictures: they are geometric, mathematical and precise.

Each square of the mural is measured, and each section of the painting is planned.

"We're not just painting landscapes," he said of himself and the group of about 20 migrant kids who painted a mural in Miller City. "We had a couple of sessions with mathematics, learning how to scale down the wall."

It is the second year that the summer class of migrant kids at St. Nicholas School in Miller City has worked on a mural, measuring about100 feet long and 18 feet high.

This year's mural is a picture of a pastoral setting that includes a 16-foot fountain and St. Nicholas Catholic Church, and spans most of the south side of Miller City's Wenzinger Meat Processing building.

It's one of dozens of murals Velasquez has painted in the area, but for most of the kids, it is their first.

And talent is not as necessary as effort.

"If they have a good work ethic, it works out well," Velasquez said. "You find out quick who is a good worker and who can comprehend (instructions) easily."

Kids with more talent get the tougher, more intricate painting jobs; others can work on filling in color, or helping with a myriad of other jobs involved with creating a painting of that scale.

The students ranged in age from about 12 to 18, and most travel with their parents as they follow migrant jobs.

Some of them arrived before school let out, so summer classes at St. Nicholas School help them keep from falling behind.

They study academic subjects, but they also help Velasquez paint the mural.

Oscar Lopez, a teenager living in Leipsic, painted the white columns in the mural.

"When I was in kindergarten I started painting," he said. "I have learned a lot from Oscar."

Their teacher, Karen Maas, said she talked to the kids about what the mural will mean to the community, and to them.

"I tell them, 'Someday your great-grandkids will be able to see this,'" she said.

Using art in education helps kids learn to open up and express themselves, Maas said, which could help them in many areas of life.

And getting a chance to watch a piece of art unfold is not bad for the teachers, either.

The mural "is so amazing," she said. "It starts out as just blocks of paint and ends up as something beautiful."

The wall is not all Velasquez hopes to transform when he teaches kids. He also wants to teach them skills and present them with options.

After all, Velasquez started out as a migrant worker, too, and left that life to establish roots and become an artist.

He graduated from the Cooper School of Art in Cleveland, and has since authored books and articles about his art; has worked on movie sets and has painted murals throughout the country and northwest Ohio, including Findlay.

He loves to paint, but he also loves to watch kids learn and progress.

"I'll look at those kids and see myself," he said.

Reiter: 419-427-8497,

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2 Comments

Latest comments listed first.
Francisco A. Espinoza wrote:
picture
“ Do you have a ppicture of the mural?
Thanks. ”
Friday, August 14, 2009 11:45:06 AM
jess wrote:
Artist
“ Thank you, Mr Velasquez for your interest in teaching work ethics and other valuable lessons to the youth you are helping in this endeavor. I'm sure there will be some budding artists discovering themselves as well. Great work!! ”
Friday, August 14, 2009 11:12:25 AM
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News Briefs Work scheduled on Findlay streets
Findlay's Main Street, northbound, will be reduced at times to one lane between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. for waterline connection.

Main Street will not be accessible from East Lincoln Street. Lincoln Street will be closed to through traffic from South Main Street to South Blanchard Street from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. for continued improvement work. Access to local businesses and residents only will be maintained.

Recount planned in trustee's race
OTTAWA -- After certifying election results on Wednesday, the Putnam County Board of Elections has announced a recount will be required for the Union Township trustee race, according to Deputy Director Shelly Burkhart.

The recount will be completed on Wednesday at the county elections board office, 336 E. Main Street, Ottawa.

Incumbent Daniel R. Ellerbrock has secured his position on the board, earning 685 votes. However the remaining trustee spot will require a recount as Gery P. Wurth earned 598 votes and Mark J. Kahle collected 601 votes, according to official results.

An automatic recount is necessary if the margin is within one-half of 1 percent of total votes cast, according to state law.

Road to be closed
Forest Lake Drive, between Marion Township 237 and Indian Lake Drive/Forest Lane, will be closed today for a pipe installation.

The road is expected to open by 5 p.m., weather permitting.

Motorists are advised to use Township 242.