KAPAA — A colorfully painted mural was unveiled at St. Catherine School on Tuesday.
“Heaven on Earth” was created by Sally Harrison, who is in charge of the After School Care program in addition to helping with recess.
Residents are invited to come by and experience this beautiful and inspirational work of art depicting Jesus Christ with Kauai’s island life and culture.
“Working here at the school with the kids — and it’s all about the kids — is like heaven on earth, the name of the mural,” Harrison said. “I wanted to give a gift to the children and have them know how lucky they are to be here. This school is such a wonderful place.”
This extra large mural was installed over the weekend then blessed by Father Anthony Rapozo and witnessed by the school body in the morning. The students gasped in awe and enthusiasm with much applause.
“They love how bright and colorful it is,” Harrison said. “They have been thanking me all day, because kids here are so polite and so appreciative.”
“It makes you feel good when you can do something nice for them when they appreciate it back.”
Harrison worked on the colorful mural with house paints for about six weeks.
“It’s sort of like a collage I put together of things that inspire me,” she said.
One of the students she lives by has been coming over with artwork he’s been drawing for input and inspiration.
“I want to inspire the kids to love art like I do and feel good about it,” Harrison said.
The artist only recently learned how to paint, working as a graphic art director for 20 years before going into the education field. The Kapaa resident has worked at St. Catherine School for almost five years.
“They have lots of blank walls here, but there’s always time to paint more,” she said.
Harrison does art projects at home, including glass mosaics on surfboards, but she hopes to fill more walls at the school.
“I just want this to be a beautiful campus not an institution,” she said. “I look around and I see it and want it to be bright and beautiful for everyone there and the community, too.”
