Back in 1996 I had outdoor projects in both Denver and Palm Springs. As much as I tried to plan the correct seasons for each project, "construction delays" forced me into installing Denver in a blizzard and Palm Springs in 123 degrees (that was more about survival than an installation).

This time I got it right, even if it was quite a long commute. Fairbanks in June was glorious and Jacksonville in November was a comfortable winter warm. Although this 'art trek' spanned the continent from corner to corner the theme remained the same -- both told a story about the university or the educational system.

In the Alaskan mural Pool of Thought, cool waters reflect and celebrate a painting exhibition depicting both symbols of the university and the Arctic world, while the Florida project Study with Sphere and Water invites the viewer into a meditative space of learning and inspiration.

Like an icon of the academic sciences, the armillary sphere serves as the centerpiece for both mural projects. As an instrument to "study our relationship to the universe" it is the perfect metaphor for higher education. It symbolizes astronomy, geometry, ancient greek mythology, geography and time itself.

Pool of Thought provides several symbols that relate to the subject of school. On the left wall of we start with an obvious academic classic -- the School of Athens by Raphael. During it's golden age, Pericles helped engineer Athens into becoming a crucible for creative genius, from which great philosophers, mathematicians, writers and artists emerged. The Greek academe is a cornerstone for western civilization and is the foundation for our educational system today.

With a nod to King Minos, the vibrant teal columns in the mural are borrowed from the Palace in Konossos on Crete -- the heart of Europe's first great civilization. Influenced by Egypt and the East, the Minoans were richly cultured and served as an early model for the Greeks.

A drypoint by Picasso depicts two music making muses, living a life of culture and leisure-- representing the Liberal Arts. To it's right, inspired by Mark Tobey, is a painting I created. With its subtle and cerebral textures and colors I think this piece provides a potion of modern thought. It's titled simply; Northern Lights.

Paintings on the right side focus more on the local Arctic region and culture. First is the work of the Tlingit, a northwest coast people indigenous to Alaska. Then finally, a modified version of a William Bradford painting entitled Afterglow. I felt that the explorer ship near an iceberg eloquently portrays the scientific exploration of the Arctic region.

Located at the University Center at UNF, Study with Sphere and Water appears to have a little more breathing room for its subjects, with it's giant singular sphere and the large Monet-like painting of a campus lily pond. Upon closer observation, the viewer discovers that the book case is crammed full of literary classics and symbolic objects covering almost every academic subject. The student is pulling The Critique of Pure Reason by Immanuel Kant from the shelf. Stretching for probably philosophy's loftiest book symbolizes the pursuit of truth and knowledge. It is this reaching toward understanding, this quest for enlightenment, is what defines the life long process of higher education.