A Newton artist who has painted a mural in Eastern Europe just finished a mural for the new Dana King Ceretti Environmental Education Center in Newton. Lauren Roush of Newton painted a mural in a nature nook on the main floor of the center, which has yet to open. She was assisted by local art teacher Pauli Zmolek.

The mural depicts a prairie, above and below ground, and took a week to complete.

“So there is a lot of native prairie flowers and grass above the ground. Then two-thirds of the way down it turns into the ground, and then you can see burrowing animals and some bugs underneath. And above the ground deer, bison, and a hawk, just animals that you would see.”  

Roush has also painted murals on the observatory at Ashton Park west of Baxter, at the Vietnam Memorial in Baxter, and in Moldova in Eastern Europe. Hear more about these two local artists and their newest mural on today’s Let’s Talk Newton.