The beauty of art is how it can take a boring white wall into an eye-catching and connecting piece. North Penn High School senior Christian Snell is, for the second time, transforming F-Pod hallway’s plain cinder block walls into his own personal colorful canvas.
Last year, Snell originally painted a mural for the hallway as an Eagle Scout service project, and has returned once again to tackle painting for independent study, having already dedicated the first portion of the year to planning the project.
Snell explained the mural will reach around thirty feet, and is being done with the assistance of others, combining nearly one hundred total work hours. Snell also explained that the project operates purely off of donations and personal funding out of pocket.
“When I first painted the mural, because we were just getting out of Covid paint prices were super low because no one was buying paint, so they had a lot to get rid of; I would actually go into Lowe’s and ask for paint donations. Still, I do have to pay for paint on my own,” Snell said.
Part of Snell’s passion for murals comes from the service they provide for the public, combining artistic expression with inspiration and education.
“A mural does so much. You can advertise with the mural, you can inspire with a mural. There’s educational murals. There’re murals that account historical figures, there’re murals that just are there for fun,” Snell explained.
The mural serves not just those passing by, but also acts for Snell as a personal outlet for self-expression and energy. Having struggled with focus, art acts as a concentrator for Snell’s mind.
“I can’t stand sitting at a desk. I have severe ADHD; I can’t concentrate at a desk. Even sitting and drawing is getting mundane sometimes. That’s why I’m always standing to paint. I moved schools four or five times when I was younger simply because of the fact that all of my teachers labeled me as, inattentive, unable to be in class, a distraction or whatever, because I couldn’t stop moving.
“One day, it kind of clicked that when I’m drawing, it’s almost like drawing a box in my brain and everything kind of stays there for the time. It helps close my mind and make me concentrate better,” Snell explained.
On top of providing the school and himself with an expression of creativity, the mural is also an example of how North Penn is able to open up options for students down the line. Snell explained that, usually in order to paint murals for the public, a portfolio is typically required; getting such a large mural completed provides Snell with more experience that could allow him to take on other murals in the future.
An urge to make the world more colorful is what Snell is bringing to the F-Pod hallway of North Penn High School, with a hope to inspire creativity and “showcase everything that is North Penn.”
“What drives me is I hate white walls; I can’t stand them, they’re so boring. Whenever I see something like a white wall, it looks like a piece of paper. It should be covered by something more colorful,” Snell said.
Paint stroke by paint stroke, Christian Snell’s hours of dedication are working hard to make North Penn’s halls a colorful display of art.