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Young Picassos paint a plow
CANFIELD
A plow blade from the Ohio Department of Transportation sits on a back lawn at Canfield High School awaiting completion by seven talented art students dedicated to making their mark on public safety.
“Paint a Plow Blade” is a project that’s part of an effort to make the public more aware of ODOT and to promote public safety.
The project is a joint ODOT and school project for area communities.
The students agreed “plow week” is their favorite week of the year.
The theme of the painting is inspired by Gustav Klimt, an Austrian symbolist painter in the early 1900s.
The painters, seniors Nicole Schmidt, Elena Merhaut, Kristen Hood, Kasey Hood, Mackenzie Yozwiak, Moira Lumsden and Giovana Condoleon, used their knowledge from another class they had together to find the unique theme for the plow blade. The students had art classes together and also a German class where they learned about Klimt.
Once Nicole mentioned the idea, the girls agreed that it would be a good fit.
“I kind of brought it up as a joke, and it just stuck,” she said.
Nicole said Klimt is one of her favorite artists and that she likes the style from his “golden phase.”
The unfinished plow is going to get a touch of gold added to it to incorporate that style, Nicole said.
Kristen Hood, a senior, said she enjoyed the experience because it was a different canvas than the traditional art projects – especially the curve of the plow.
“It’s cool until the paint drips on you,” she said.
The plow will sport a mixture of two of Klimt’s pieces combining geometric shapes – circles and squares – with garden features including vines and big yellow sunflowers.
The seven art students also decided to incorporate their symbol as Canfield students on the plow – a giant red cardinal.
Kevin Hoopes, Canfield art teacher, said he had a great group of girls, most of them in advanced-placement art.
The plow was his second completed, and he said although he was sad to see the seven seniors go, he hopes to get another great team in place for the next one.
Nicole is carrying on her artistic ability at the Cleveland Institute of Art in the fall with a scholarship.