Caledonia Argus

Young artist paints mural at courthouse

Posted: 8/13/02

by Jane Palen
Managing editor

Seventeen year old Drew Olson of La Crescent is more accustomed to drawing Gothic-type fantasy figures, but he showed his versatility recently when he painted a warm and inviting mural of a country scene in the reception area of the human services department at the Houston County Courthouse.

Social worker Sharen Lapham was giving a presentation at Drewís school when she noticed him drawing, and asked to see his work. Although the style was quite different from what she and others at human services had envisioned for the mural, she saw a lot of talent in Drew and asked if he would be interested in painting a mural. He said he would, and donated 24 hours of time to paint the mural, which features a rural scene that was inspired by the view at Drewís fatherís house in the country.

Drew explained that it was one of the first paintings he ever did. He prefers portraits and pencil illustrations. Much of his artwork is an out growth of his passion for comic books featuring fantasy characters. He gives away a lot of work to his friends, and one of his drawings actually ended up as a tattoo.

With one year of high school left, Drew plans to pursue further education in art and a career in art. His dream job would be to draw comic books, but if that opportunity doesnít come up, he hopes to work in another aspect of the field. He said he is not interested in computer graphics because he feels its would not be as satisfying as working with a pen, pencil or brush.

The human services department is very happy with the new mural, and the staff has been very impressed with Drew, said Lapham. He has had to contend with a lot of people watching him, she added.

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