Cyndy Epps spent her spring break doing something she loves – painting.
Epps, who teaches art appreciation and painting and drawing at Augusta University, painted a river scene at the Augusta Common as part of the “It All Flows Into the Savannah” storm water mural project.
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Ducks, otters, butterflies and snakes were among the wildlife in her “Up the River” mural at the common.
“It’s full of all the creatures you’d see at the river,” she said.
The project is meant to educate the public about what flows into the stormwater drains around town, according to Pax Bobrow, project director for the Greater Augusta Arts Council, which helped coordinate the project for the city.
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The funding for the project came through the city’s stormwater management department, she said.
When it rains, storm water runs from the pavement and sidewalks and picks up pollutants along the way. The water flows directly into creeks, streams and rivers without any treatment, according to the project description at the arts council’s website.
The arts council issued a call for artists who had until March 8 to submit a design. Then, it opened up voting to the general public. People could pick their top five favorites. From there, a panel selected 12 winning designs.
Artists will be painting their designs this week, Bobrow said. They started Monday and should be finished by the end of the week. Several artists were out of town at the beginning of the week and planned to start painting Thursday.
The murals join other murals and art projects in the downtown area such as the Augusta Sculpture Trail and the painted traffic boxes.
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“The potential energy that has been stored up is becoming kinetic,” she said.
And it’s building. People can see what art can do to transform an area, she said.
Epps said she was excited to have the opportunity to work on another large project.
She painted one of the waterworks’ murals on Wrightsboro Road and a traffic box with scenes of Summerville at the corner of Walton Way and Milledge Road.
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She’d submitted two different designs and was glad one of them was chosen. She didn’t have a preference.
“I would’ve been excited about either one. I enjoy painting,” she said.
Charmain Z. Brackett is the Features Editor for The Augusta Press. Reach her at charmain@theaugustapress.com.
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