TUC Mural Project Stretches Students' Skills 

University of Cincinnati fine art student Susan Boatman stands at 5-foot, 4-inches tall. So, it’s a good thing she’s partnered with fellow painting student Brent Krumrei – who stands at 6-foot, 8-inches – in completing a large-scale mural in Tangeman University Center.

Though even at his height, Krumrei can’t reach to the top of their 9-foot-tall, colorful mural the pair is creating in the Catskeller Game Room and Sports Lounge in TUC. “And I can’t use the ladder to reach the top,” explained Krumrei, 21, of Cleveland. “At 250 pounds, I’m too heavy for the ladder. If I have to reach to the top, I generally find a chair,” he added.

The sheer size of their mural project – and a second TUC mural currently underway by fine art students Alexandra Jameson and Stephen Kenny – is providing the biggest challenge for these four students in completing their respective works in time for the opening of school on Sept. 20. The murals are sponsored by UC’s MainStreet Operations.

“It’s difficult to get used to the scale” said Krumrei. “Every detail will really stand out at this size. Everything is magnified. So, that means our work must be very good. Not to mention that we have to provide three layers of paint to each element. That’s because the murals have got to be tough in order to stand up to scratches, people bumping into them and other accidents of life common in a casual environment.”

Before taking on this project, Boatman, 21, of Kettering, Ohio, says the largest painting she ever completed was a four-foot-high work. The biggest project Krumrei had ever completed was a seven-foot-high painting. Still, both were eager to take on this new larger-than-life challenge.

“It’s a fabulous opportunity,” stated Boatman. “It’s a chance to leave a legacy here at the university when I graduate. It’s great for a resume. It’s also great experience because mural work is something I’d like to do later in life. Though I have to admit I was nervous at the start of the project, but now it’s going well.”

Helping to lead the students in their project is experienced muralist Tarrence Corbin, associate professor of art. Corbin has created murals throughout the United States for more than two decades.

The two murals – originally developed as concepts by Boatman and Jameson – were selected for inclusion in the Catskeller by online voting in May and early June wherein the UC community cast nearly 3,000 votes among possible murals submitted by fine art students from the university’s

top-ranked

College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning.

In order to complete the work by the start of classes, Boatman, Krumrei, Jameson and Kenny are working weekdays and weekends, usually devoting around six hours a day to the project. “By the end of a day, I usually have paint up to my elbows, tired arms and a few bruises on my shin from where I lean my legs against the ladder,” said Boatman.