If you’ve recently passed by the English wings, you’ve probably noticed the colorful murals around the two clocks at the ends of one of its hallways. The swirls of purple paint strokes around the clock above Room 231 emulate an ominous night sky, while the clock above Room 215 has strokes of sunlight painted around it. These are the works of Milana Frias (’26), a passionate painter eager to explore her creative expression at THS.
“Art is one of my favorite things to do,” Frias said. “I’m not sure whether I want to become an artist, but I definitely want to use art to get into college.”
Frias volunteered to paint the murals after Ms. Allen pitched the idea to the Art club after consulting with Dr. Rabinowitz, who had noticed the relative bareness of the walls of the English hallways compared to those of other hallways. As an artist who creates projects of her own, Frias was intrigued by the proposal.
“I thought it sounded really fun,” Frias said. “I had never really painted on a wall before, and the idea of painting around clocks was really creative.”
A newcomer to Tenafly, Frias started attending THS in September as a sophomore. To Frias, painting the murals was symbolic of the start of her life in Tenafly and showcasing her artistry in a brand new environment.
“I decided it was a good way to begin my first year, and a nice way to make a contribution to a new school,” Frias said.
The theme of the murals concerns two of the Earth’s constant companions—the moon and the sun. Frias used the round shapes of the clocks to make each of the clocks at the ends of the hallway echo petite versions of these celestial bodies.
The clock above Room 231 has an outline of green, blue, and white to enliven the color scheme of the piece and depict the outlines of the moon. If you look closely, you can see the details of small craters on the outline. The part of the mural that adds to its mystique, though, is how the white of the moon doesn’t distinctly separate itself from the purple sky, but instead blends and becomes part of its dark swirls. Moreover, as the dark-purple sky expands sideways, it becomes mixed with hues of magenta and white, sweetening the background that may have otherwise looked dull. Adding garnish to the mural are specks of sparkles painted in the dark sky, creating a shimmering effect on the moon and giving the piece a final stylistic touch.
The clock above Room 215 is unfinished, but the yellow curves of sunlight painted around it have already formed the model of a sun.
According to Frias, the steady progress of the murals was a result of her weekly dedications through sacrificing her lunch hours and even staying after school to work on them.
“I work on the murals every Friday with the exception of a few,” Frias said. “I get my paints and materials during lunch and then borrow the janitor’s ladder.”
While she will be busy in the spring with lacrosse, Frias expressed her desire to extend her paint strokes beyond the clocks to the bare hallways waiting to be covered with student creativity.
“The ideal plan would be to paint the whole English hallway,” Frias said.” But for now, I’m just focusing on finishing the clock. I’ll see what I can do.”
