HWS News
5 November 2021 • Arts Under the Sea Paintings Transform Daycare
Architecture and studio art double major Courtney Page ’22 is painting an imaginative underwater scene in the halls of the Geneva Lakefront Childcare Center.
Courtney Page ’22 began painting an epic underwater scene in the hallways of the Geneva Lakefront Childcare Center in May. Several months in to the work, she has painted cartoon dolphins, octopuses, ships and bright blue waves that rise to the ceiling and crash to the floor. Her work has brought imagination and play to the halls of the daycare center for children ages 6 to 12.
Page chose a nautical theme for her project to pay tribute to the local watershed and Seneca Lake. She says the theme “shows the importance of the lake and the life it brings to the area.” She also drew inspiration from other public art in the City of Geneva, including the Castle Street mural and the metal sculpture of Seneca Lake at the Geneva Welcome Center.
Under the Sea Paintings Transform Daycare
Incorporating letters and phrases throughout her artwork, Page uses phrases such as “O is for Octopus” and “E is for Eel” that appear next to the animals. She hopes that by incorporating learning devices into her scenes she is helping make reading fun.
Page says her favorite part of the project has been watching students react to her paintings as they come to life. “Seeing the kids pretend to ‘swim’ down the hall and pose in the ship” was the best reaction she could have received from her work, Page says. “I love the responses from the public and the children. It gives people something to look at and be happy about in a time where we need more positivity.”
