Mural tradition at High School features an alicorn

Jan 6 2023

At least one mural is painted on the outer wall of the art classroom on the Assets High School campus each year.

This year's mural of an alicorn was inspired by an online image that Elsa '26 found. An alicorn is a combination of a unicorn and a winged horse.

"I chose this image at first because I felt like it was a good challenge," said Elsa. "Then soon after, I made the connection that it is similar to the water horse in the Disney movie Frozen II."

Elsa worked on the mural with the help of her classmates and her Art teacher, Mark Maresca, who has been teaching at Assets since 2015. The students started in September and about a month later it was completed. It was taken down in January.

"I learned a lot more about color mixing, shades of different colors, techniques, and mapping," she said. "I'm still learning my art style but at the moment I am practicing landscape sketching and other basic things because I'm a freshman. I have plenty of time to develop my skill."

WATCH NOW: Elsa '26 shared her artistic journey with the alicorn mural at the High School campus in a time-lapse video. Click on video above.

Mark contributed significantly to the painting and proportion of the alicorn.

Mark was an art teacher for many years in the same classroom when he worked at the Academy of the Pacific before it was acquired by Assets School in 2014. An artist in his own right, Mr. Maresca's oil painting, "Back to the Future," was chosen to be part of the Hawaii State Art Museum’s 50th Anniversary Exhibition: Hawai'i Change & Continuity in 2015 coordinated by the Hawaii State Foundation of Culture and the Arts. Mark’s work has also been exhibited in other venues including the Honolulu Museum of Art where he worked as a drawing and painting instructor. While he was an Orvis Artist in Residence at The Contemporary Museum Spalding House in 2012, his art students collaborated in his work called "Garden of Reflection." He earned the Acquisition Award from the Hawaii State Foundation on Culture and the Arts in 2003 and in 2005. His painting titled “Lush Landscape” bought by the state in 2005 was displayed in one of the rooms in the State Capitol. He was given the Newcomer Award in 2004 by the Honolulu Japanese Chamber of Commerce. His work was showcased at the Maui Arts and Cultural Center in 2015 during the Schaefer Portrait Challenge.

“'Elsa gained valuable experience collaborating on a large-scale painting," said Maresca. "She demonstrated determination and enthusiasm while following through with the drawing and painting process."

"It was overall a really fun experience," said Elsa. "I'm so glad I get to share it."

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Mural tradition at High School features an alicorn

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