Student artists bring Marine Lab walls to life
The 91快播 Marine Laboratory has recently welcomed murals depicting Guam鈥檚 native marine life, painted by UOG undergraduate and graduate students.
The first mural completed, designed and painted by Constance Sartor, a marine biology student studying coral genetics, and Nina Peck, an alumna of UOG鈥檚 and now a graduate student in , elicits the feeling of being immersed in a school of fish. They chose to incorporate some of Guam鈥檚 most iconic fish, such as jacks and ma帽ahak, at the suggestion of Raymundo and other Marine Lab professors.
The mural鈥檚 design was largely influenced by its location in an outdoor breezeway. 鈥淚t鈥檚 important to think of the flow of the building, lighting, foot traffic, etc.,鈥 Peck said.
The second mural is the work of Justin Berg, a student studying sedimentation effects in Fouha Bay. An over-under style painting, the mural depicts a Guam sunset above the surface, the boat on which the Marine Lab conducts research, and an ocean landscape below the surface.
Berg solicited suggestions for species inclusion from advisors, students, and boat captains.
鈥淭he most interesting part for me was the ability to encompass a wide variety of native Guam marine life into one image that accurately represented the ongoing research conducted at the UOG Marine Lab,鈥 Berg said.
Though combating humidity while painting in the wet season, Berg takes advantage of every sunny day and hopes to complete the mural by early December.
Sartor is a self-taught artist and has been painting murals for five years. She said she hopes to blend science and art in her career, as she believes art helps a broader range of people connect with and understand the intricacies of science.
Peck鈥檚 experience as an artist has been informed by both formal studies at the University of Guam as well as learning and experimenting outside the classroom setting.