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Mural delivers message of hope By Myles Murphy Ashland Daily Tidings Often dank, damp and dark, basements are not known for a bright and vibrant lively atmosphere, but children at one Ashland church have transformed the nether-regions of their house of worship with light and color. Local artist Rayna Hagie, 11, points to a young boy fleeing a world of hate and fear into a world of hope and love (below). Ashland Daily Tidings/MYLES MURPHY Children at the Ashland First Congregational Church on Siskiyou Boulevard decided in the fall of 2002 to cover a bare wall in the church basement with a mural. "It was really boring," 15-year-old Jaime Roupp said of the old common room downstairs. "It's a lot more exciting and colorful now." In the intervening months, the kids have brainstormed, designed and painted the wall from side to side, covering the plain concrete block with figures depicting both hope and fear. The painting starts on one side with a shriveled, polluted planet. Holding hands and turning away from the nasty planet, painted people make their way from the mucked-up world to a newer, greener and healthier world where dogs, cats and other animals live in harmony with humans, trees are planted and the water and air are clean and clear. "The small world is not colorful, and it's polluted," artist Rayna Hagie, 11, said. "But the big world is all the good things - loving nature." Rayna and brother Colin Hagie, 13, worked with other members of the church to bring the mural to life. "We made the bad world all dirty and stuff," Colin explained, tracing the outline of the filthy mudball representing all the things the children hope to change in the world - fear, ignorance, hunger and homelessness. The children worked with local artist and fellow church member Barbara Fitch, who helped them put their ideas on paper, and guided them in transferring the work from a small version to the larger 80-square-foot wall-covering. The painting was finished just before Easter weekend and was unveiled after the church's Easter Sunday service. LINKS: DAILY TIDINGS: Main | News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Opinion | Columnists | AP News | Subscribe | Archives | Weather | Classifieds | Contact Us | Privacy REVELS: Main | Calendar | Dining | Movies | T.V. OTHER: Road Cams Copyright 2003 Ashland Daily Tidings 541.482.3456. 1661 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland, OR 97520. Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. - Advertisers -