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Painted leaves become art project

By Sachiko Miyakawa

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Piles of colorful leaves filled the floor of Shannon Sullivan’s loft apartment.

Turquoise, white, orange and red — Sullivan painted hundreds of natural leaves with a variety of colors, excited to see how people on campus would react to her artwork.

Sullivan, Ottawa senior, spread 15 large bags of painted leaves in front of the buildings on Jayhawk Boulevard early this morning to present her public art project.

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Photo by Jessica Sain-Baird

Shannon Sullivan has been getting painted leaves ready in her attic in preparation for a public art display on campus today. The leaves, which she painted with a milk-based paint that is environmentally friendly, took two weeks to completely dry. She described the leaves, which are painted with bold colors, as striking.

“The beauty of the piece is unpredictable,” she said. “People might not think of it as art, but I want to shock and intrigue people.”

Sullivan said her project was inspired by the leaflets and flyers that student groups distributed on campus.

Instead of overloading students with information, Sullivan said, she wanted to create colorful artwork that could cheer up students who were stressed with exams and papers.

“I want to create a moment which makes people smile and wonder,” she said.

The artwork is the final assignment of her public art class, taught by John Hachmeister, associate professor of art. Hachmeister said the course covered various public art issues, from legal to structural to safety issues. For the final assignment, students used their knowledge of public art to create their own pieces.

Hachmeister said public art could be found anywhere, from murals in municipal buildings to sculptures in parks. He said it was important for students to learn to create art that could appeal to a larger audience and to be knowledgeable about public art.

“I told students that artists always have to be flexible,” he said.

Sullivan collected the leaves from the Public Works Department in Lawrence, which had collected the leaves from around town.

She painted each leaf with biodegradable paint, using a professional painting sprayer. She said the challenge of the project was to figure out how to paint the massive piles of leaves efficiently, and a traditional paintbrush was not her solution.

“I don’t think I used anything that is for artists,” she said.

Robert Knapp, Houston senior and Sullivan’s boyfriend, helped Sullivan collect the leaves and place them this morning.

“I’ve been here for four years, and the final week is one of the most tough times for many KU students,” he said. “What she’s doing can brighten up everyone on campus.”

— — Edited by Brenna Hawley

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