Life Is A Highway

BROOKSVILLE - When West Hernando Middle School teacher

Kevin McManus decided to pursue a mural project on the

famed Florida Highwaymen, he gained a new appreciation

for how difficult it can be to recreate lucrative

artwork.

First he called four or five of the artists - part of

original group of African American painters who sold

landscape paintings from the trunks of cars during the

second half of the 20th century - and asked for

permission to allow his sixth-grade students to

interpret the artists' work in mosaics.

All declined.

Then he tried James Gibson.

And the Ft. Pierce-based artist, 70, said yes.

"Anything I can do to help kids (pursue) art," Gibson

said. "This is something I love to do, and I didn't

have that kind of support when I was growing up. I had

to learn it all on my own."

Gibson's paintings now sell for thousands of dollars -

including the two paintings chosen to be depicted by

students at West Hernando, which were recently

purchased by NBA basketball star Shaquille O'Neil for

$3,000 each.

Each year, students complete a multi-disciplinary,

outdoor project as part of the school's Hands Across

The World program, incorporating lessons in math,

science, English geography and art.

And this year's project, slated for completion in

April, is certainly major.

The students are constructing two large, concrete

murals for the school's courtyard, made up of 20,000 to

30,000 tiny pieces of multi-colored stained glass and

tile. They will be displayed on either side of a

fountain, also designed by students.

The murals are recreations of two of Gibson's classic

landscape paintings: one of a warm, swampy Florida

sunset, and another of a tree.

"I think (Gibson) will be happy when he sees them,"

McManus said, who teaches geography.

In math class, the students had a contest to design the

landscape. In science, they studied which types of

plants would be best for xeriscaping, or landscaping in

ways that do not require supplemental irrigation. In

English, they studied the legacy and historical

significance of the Highwaymen.

"We learned that they were people who traveled around

Florida and when they saw something beautiful, they

would just start painting," said Uriah Poteet, 11.

"They could paint in as little as 20 minutes to an

hour, and then they would sell their work."

Shunning traditional methods, the artists created

unique depictions of Florida's sunsets, waterscapes,

marshes and inlets. They painted quick, brisk images in

bright colors, often on wood or Masonite, and are

estimated to have sold approximately 200,000 paintings

for as little as $20 each.

"They would travel around and sell their work for (just

enough) money to keep doing what they did," said

Marcial Garcia, 11.

Today, Gibson is one of several original highwaymen who

still paint. As the featured artist for Florida's black

history month initiative, he is currently finishing up

a painting commissioned by state officials.

For the West Hernando project, eighth-grade art

students traced photographs of the paintings onto giant

slabs. Approximately 170 of his geography students then

added all of the details.

"Everyone always has something to do," McManus said.

"At the end of the year, no one can say they didn't get

to work on it."

And it's not as simple as it looks.

"We have to find just the right small glass pieces for

each (part)," said Yahja Hamad, 11. "It takes time."

The murals' materials were donated by local businesses

and $2,600 in grant funds.

In past years, students have completed a mosaic of a

world map, holocaust memorial and a myriad of other

sculptures and projects.

They have invited Gibson to the Highwaymen project's

dedication in April, and he said he will attend if he

can.

And above all else, the annual beautification projects

instill a deep sense of pride in the students, McManus

said.

"My brother is still in elementary school, and I'll be

happy when he can walk by and see what we made," said

Mikalia Darling, 12.