Across from Market Creek Plaza, there used to be a vacant lot with dusty grass and a wooden fence, but in the past few weeks, the fence has been covered with bright blue, green, red and yellow paint.
A new brightly painted mural on Euclid Avenue shows smiling children — and vegetables — both to brighten up an area that has struggled with crime and send a message about healthy eating, said community organizer Barry Pollard.
Art Institute of California student Brise Birdsong designed the mural and drew its outline on the fence. Then local kids painted inside the lines to fill it with vibrant color.
Birdsong drew children eating apples, cartoon vegetables with big smiles and words like "Eat Right" to promote healthy eating.
"We wanted to make something happy and very cheerful for the neighborhood kids, so when they walk by they really look at it, instead of just an empty wall," she said.
Pollard helped make the mural happen by raising about $1,000 from local organizations and businesses to pay for it.
"We see the smiles, and that's what we really wanted to do, is have someone look at this and get a positive feeling when they saw it and smile," he said. "And even when we first started this, that was the reaction we got."
On Monday, Pollard and a few volunteers completed the final step of the project. They covered the mural with a clear coating that will protect it from graffiti.
