St. Paul School

On May 19, 20 and 21, I worked on a mural project at St. Paul School in Duvernay, Laval, Quebec. This was my last project for the season and I really enjoyed it.

Prior to my arrival the School had a contest were the students had to come up with images to fit the theme of “Give, Grow and Achieve”.

The art teacher Marie-Claire Deschênes, who appears in the video briefly at the end, handed me this folder containing very interesting drawings in pencil. From there it was very easy to continue. The students made these wonderful collaborations that you see in the beginning of the video. For the mural itself I decided to create these floating spaces like sheets of fabric hanging in the air being held by birds and a cats tail. In them you see the words “Give”, “Grow”, “Achieve” written in blue.

Because the students were selected with such care for this project, I though it would be important to feature them all individually. In the end we were all dancing including the Art Teacher and myself. It was really a lot of fun!!

I’m very proud of the students, they worked very, very well and the result is beautiful.
I’d like to say great thanks to Mary, a parent who volunteered to help me for the three days of work.

I hope you’ll all enjoy it!!

Lindsay Place High School

On May 13,14 and 15 I worked on a mural project in Valois, Quebec at Lindsay Place High School.

The project was organized with the participation of the art teacher Rima Moushaghayan who had the students prepare drawings in advance to be placed on the mural. This simple task often gives very good results considering that the students will approach the idea of drawing on the wall with more confidence.

The location of the mural, whose theme was “Painting for the Arts”, was very strategic in the sense that it is located at the steps leading to the auditorium. The auditorium is the place were art and music related activities take place. In fact, all through the time we were painting we could hear very interesting renditions of classical music.

The students were very quiet and worked very well as you can see in the video.

“Mr. Tambourine Man” done by Bob Sinclar, chosen for the video, couldn’t be more appropriate. Enjoy it!!!

Mountainview Elementary School

On May 4, 5 and 6 I worked on a Mural at Mountainview Elementary School in Deux-Montagnes, Quebec.

The theme for this mural, “Mountainview Cares”, reflects the students concern for the environment. This is a very current topic for a mural and what I like about it is the possibility to portray nature and it’s richness. Images of trees, animals, flowers and planets are very present in children’s art and this is the time to show it.

The result is a very fluid group of drawings floating on the white space of the wall. The students worked by themselves or in groups of two creating a work of art to remind us of the beauty of our planet and the importance of caring for its well being.

The song “It’s a beautiful day” is very reassuring of our efforts to protect it.

I’m proud of the students who worked on this wonderful project!!

Jules Verne Elementary School

On April 29, 30 and May 1st I worked on a mural at Jules Verne Elementary School in Laval Quebec. Learning that the school was named after the man who wrote “Around the World In 80 Days” immediately made me want to explore images that would evoke exotic places in the world of imagination. It’s a wonderful thing to work on a mural where the students have total freedom to express their creativity. The main question in this project was the most basic and fundamental one, “What do you like to draw?”

The result is an interesting interaction of spaces where drawings are placed inside shapes of castles and animals creating an opportunity to explore further possibilities - a true invitation to a journey of unexpected discoveries!!

The song Octopus’s Garden set the tone for some great choreography! Enjoy it!!

Shawinigan High School

Shawinigan High School – “I Belong –I Learn”

Working on this mural was a great experience in the sense that, as the mural developed, I was able to witness a very high level of interaction among the students. They worked in groups of two and their images reflect the activities and subjects of the school, from Academics to Sports, Arts and Drama.

The mural is located in the Games Room and the great, green pool table immediately inspired me to do something similar. A long shaped background drawing with legs like a table, displaying a variety of flowers and plants in vases placed above it.

The students also paid attention to the fact that their designated spaces to paint were separated by colours. They took great care of these transitions, drawing things that would pass from one side to another, interacting with each other.

I think they were pleased with the experience, it couldn’t be otherwise considering how hard and well they worked. I’m proud of them.

Congratulations !!!!

Sherbrooke Elementary School

On February 24 to 26, 2009 I did a mural with the students of Sherbrooke Elementary School, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada on the theme of Healthy Lifestyles. The mural was located on a staircase connecting the gym to the cafeteria, thus it offered the reason to explore ideas that would relate to both. On the first day in class we did a series of exercises on paper. Many of the drawings made by the students reflected the importance of eating well to stay healthy as well as exercising.

It's the first mural I've worked on that emphasizes both these concerns which I think are extremely important to all of us.

L'école de la Petite Bourgogne

Les 18, 19 et 20 fevrier j'ai travaillé à l'école de la petite Bourgogne à Montréal. Le thème de la murale etait "Personnages de la Terre". C'est un thème fascinant en ce qui concerne l'utilisation de la forme humaine et de ses innombrables variations. On a fait plusieurs exercices collaboratifs en classe. Des visages humains aux traits variés executés par les multiples mains des élèves. Le résultat trés touchant reflètent un monde oú les differences se rejoignent pour creer un nouveau sense d'harmonie.

Les personnages ont été dessinés sur les casiers de l’ecole. Chaque élève a crée son propre personnage en etablissant une relation directe avec le concept d'etre bien autant que d’etre unique, dans un monde diversifié. Ils ont trés bien réussi et le resultat est surprenant!!

Symmes Junior High School

I have worked with the art teacher of Symmes Junior High on several murals. It is always a great pleasure working with such motivated and well prepared students. She always chooses exciting and challenging themes that inspire me, in this case "Dali meets Gaudi.

I have been to Spain many times and am familiar with the work of both artists, nevertheless I have to confess I was a bit nervous with the task of providing a framework where drawings made by the students would be placed. The first series of drawings that appear in the video were made by me in a attempt to marry both styles and imageries into one. Later on, when I was drawing on the wall, I finally let go and surrendered to a more spontaneous way of drawing, collaborating with the art teacher who would show me images and discuss the possibilities of using them.

The students had been very well prepared for this project. They had studied both artists and been able to absorb their influences. Combined with their own interpretations of what Dali or Gaudi is about, they were able to accomplish something of great personal relevance. I'm proud of them for that!!

I have put together a video that gives an idea of the experience.

St. Johns School

On the 4th, 5th and 6th of February I spent 3 days with the students of St. Johns School in St. Jean sur Richelieu, Quebec, and we created a mural about food in the schools cafeteria. It's the first time I worked on a mural with such a theme and I thought the experience was very refreshing. The intention was to draw and paint, taking in consideration all the different food groups available and portray them in their most attractive state. We wanted to be able to call the mural "Food, Glorious Food" and I think we succeded. It was a great experience considering the physical challenges of the mural - some of students had to go on tables to paint the higher parts of the wall while others had to work very carefully under the tables.

While I usually take many pictures of the projects, I purposely took a few videos which with my friend Ted's help we turned into a nice little video. The recording was very spontaneous but the group of students were so cohesive and related so well to one another that the result could only be great. I think it is!!!

Hello, Bonjour, Bom Dia

Hello, Bonjour, Bom Dia.

My name is Marcio Melo.

I am an artist, a painter living and working in the countryside near Ottawa, Canada. I grew up in Brazil and moved to Canada in 1987.

Over the past seven years I have conducted over 75 Mural Workshops with students of schools across Quebec and in Ontario, and am actively working on more.

Friends have encouraged me to share some of the results They can all be seen on my website http://www.marciomelo.com/Murals/ArtinSchools.htm. But I think there is a lot more to the projects than a picture. I hope to fill you in on some of the rest on this page.

Thank you for your time, and you are very welcome.

Marcio