I have painted a 8' x 7'3" watercolor of the entrance to Grand Rapids old Ottawa High School, which was torn down in 2010. I have always been taken with the sense of community in schools and its reflection in their buildings. The main entry surround of the old Ottawa Hills High School, which I entered every school for four years between 1962 and my graduation in 1966, served as a portal into the community where I felt safe and at home, feelings I never experienced in the house in which I Iived with two alcoholic parents. Because of the nature of watercolor, it is always a challenge to create a really large piece, but because the OHHS entry was in reality so large, I want to create a big painting using techniques I have developed over the years to express the unique qualities of building materials used in structures like OHHS.

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