Artist Revamps High School Murals

By Lizzie Wilcox

info@longislandergroup.com

Students of the Huntington High School Art Honor Society help paint the wall.

Graphic designer David Whitcher has given Huntington High School a makeover.

Whitcher, with the help of students and local volunteers, has painted and re-painted several murals across the campus, including on the 200-foot wall found opposite the school’s entrance on McKay Road.

Whitcher’s involvement with Huntington began when Booster Club President Tim Pillion reached out to him to fix up the field house, and other school facilities. Huntington High School Principal Brenden Cusack initiated the wall project and secured its funding.

Prior to its fresh coat of paint, Whitcher described the wall as “dilapidated,” chipping and covered in graffiti. Huntington’s Habitat for Humanity club assisted in the prep work by scraping and priming the wall. Whitcher received further help from students in the high school’s Art Honor Society, as they helped to paint the wall.

David Whitcher paints Huntington High School’s logo onto the field house.

The theme of the mural is “Blue Devils Forever.” In big, bold letters, it reads: “Huntington.”

Whitcher explained that, though the mural is a part of the campus, it’s more about the entire town. With three children of his own who graduated from the district, he acknowledged that people seem to love the Town of Huntington and that they often choose to stick around.

“I think it’s more about people who want to feel good about where they live. They want to support the school and the area they live in,” Whitcher said.

The artist created the design of the wall himself and he wanted to incorporate as many aspects of student life as possible. The mural depicts students playing sports, playing instruments and reading. Both the school and the district logo were also incorporated. The number 22 is painted on the lacrosse player’s helmet for John Bosco, a 2012 graduate who died last winter.

“You try to represent the student body as a whole as a graphic,” Whitcher said.

Whitcher also painted the high school’s field house and will continue working on projects for the school’s dugout and the stand of the press box. He also recently finished a mural for Southdown Primary School.

The wall opposing Huntington High School’s entrance on McKay Road before and after David Whitcher’s mural was completed.

The wall mural, completed in November, was Whitcher’s favorite of the projects, he said. From start to finish, it took about six weeks to complete, which was longer than he had expected, but he said he enjoyed working with the students and volunteers.

“Even though it took me longer than it probably should have, or I figured it would, it was definitely a labor of love,” Whitcher said.

Though all of his work has been for the Huntington school district, he said that he would like to branch out to other schools. To see Whitcher’s other projects, visit Thedavidwhitcher.wix.com/customdesigns.