’Beautiful backdrop’ added at Red Rock

Red Rock Elementary’s commons area received a bit of a facelift Monday when the school unveiled a new mural.

Red Rock unveiled the painting on Monday, Dec. 17.

The mural, which was painted by Rosemount-based company Luna Murals, depicts the school’s mascot Rocky, a lion, as well as a lake, some trees and small depictions of the East Ridge and Woodbury high school mascots.

“I wanted it to do depict some different things from the area,” said Red Rock Principal Andy Caflisch. “I wanted it to tie in and make a real nice connection for the kids and they were able to do that with the school mascot. Plus, we had the neat idea to take in the next step and bring in the high schools.

“When you look at (the mural), Red Rock is prominent, but there’s also a piece off in the distance depicting the high schools.”

The mural was paid for through the school’s PTO and building funds.

Brightening the school

Caflisch said he first came up with the idea of painting a school mural last year since the wall in the commons room was in need of something.

“We had a little graphic and a little saying that was on the commons wall that was original,” he said. “It was tired and needed a little change in pace.

“I thought we should take advantage of that space and really make it come alive more than a just a little saying.”

Caflisch quickly went online and started searching for muralists in the area.

The principal said it was important to him that the muralists were local, which is how he found Luna Murals.

Luna Murals, which is owned by Christine Carter and her niece Suzanne Adams, has been around for about 15 years now.

“We kind of fell upon it,” Carter said. “We were painting furniture and people started asking us if we could do it on walls.

“That’s where we started and we had a few good breaks along the way.”

Luna Murals does primarily residential murals, and specializes in children’s rooms.

However, Carter and Adams have also done murals at the IMAX theater at the Minnesota Zoo and di murals for 77 rooms at Woodwinds Health Campus when it first opened.

Luna Murals also exclusively does the murals for the American Society of Interior Designers showcase rooms.

When Caflisch approached Carter and Adams about painting the mural at Red Rock, they said they wanted to make it as happy as possible.

“We really wanted something colorful and scenic, so that it would kind of expand this space,” Adams said.

Since the commons area at Red Rock is frequently used for student performances, Carter and Adams said they wanted to make sure they were showcasing the school and the students.

“Most people think of the idea of the mascot as more of a cartoony kind of thing, but we were able to make it realistic and kind of center stage so that it’s something the students can be proud of that represents them,” Adams said. “It will provide a beautiful backdrop for them.”

In addition to brightening the commons area, Caflisch said he is hopeful the new mascot will provide some inspiration for students.

Not only will the mural be used in Red Rock art curriculum, it will act as a visual for students to see where art can take them, Caflisch said.

“We have a lot of artistic kids who probably never thought about doing something like this,” he said.

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