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| Jill Fitterer works on
mural to be veiled at the
San Pedro bird center. (Photo:
IBRRC) |
From the Long
Beach Press Telegram
By Neda Raouf, Staff Writer
A n avid backpacker and former
wilderness ranger, Jill Fitterer recently took an opportunity
to combine her love of nature with her skills as an artist.
Six months later, Fitterer's volunteer efforts have resulted
in a new mural for the International Bird Rescue Research
Center in San Pedro, which responds to oil spills affecting
wildlife and run a rehabilitation program for sick or injured
or orphaned water birds.
“It's absolutely amazing,” said Lana
Emo, rehabilitation manager at the center. “What we've
ended up with is a depiction on the front of our building
of pelicans flying from the center toward the ocean. For us,
it has a bit more meaning, because our goal is to get the
injured birds or the rehabilitated birds out to the wild.”
The black-and-white mural, which is 7-feet tall
and 28-feet wide, was designed by Fitterer, a graduate student
in the Cal State Long Beach master of fine arts program who
initially approached the center to do an independent research
project.
Once the design was approved, the physical work got under
way.
Fitterer, who grew up in Pittsburgh, is a print maker who
primarily works in relief printing and etching. She had never
done a mural.
“It actually took a lot more time than I
imagined,” she said, adding that the project took about
five months longer than anticipated. In the process, Fitterer
said she learned a lot about the center's work.
“I just learned that so many birds are basically
injured by the everyday actions of people who don't know any
better,” she said. “People think that oiled birds
are from large spills ... Usually it's more from street runoff
and from restaurant grease traps.”
The project started off with some help from the center's Christian
Battaglia, the center's education director, who initially
primed and painted all the boards.
“She's incredibly organized,” he said.
“I can't say enough good things about this experience.”
Fitterer was able to project the image and paint it on an
easel inside the center.
Fitterer devoted about 200 hours to the mural; a friend helped
her for half a day.
“I wanted it to look as good as I possibly
could make it,“ she said.
Fitterer and another artist are working on a sculpture
that may go into the center by next year.
Copyright 2003 Long Beach Press Telegram
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