Unique wall design by artist Ulrike Krappen

Turning barren into vibrant: Since February, a cheerful painting has adorned the formerly white wall at the elementary school, spanning a width of about five meters. Ulrike Krappen, the Marburg-based artist, was at work here, using paint and brushstrokes to conjure up a completely different atmosphere. Following a suggestion from Managing Director Dirk Konnertz to add some splashes of color to the interior of the Steinmühle as well, and after consulting with elementary school teachers Janine Küster and Lorraine Herrmann during the creative process, the artwork was completed in three to four days. Ulrike Krappen uses acrylic paints, sometimes wood stain and oil pastels, for her paintings. In the end, the painting depicted many heads at eye level—swimmers, divers, an Eskimo—international figures with whom the individual students could identify. “It was a pleasant experience,” Ulrike Krappen recalls, “a great atmosphere in which I was given free rein—with music and sandwiches.” The artist, who spends about six months each year in the south of France, waived her fee in support of a good cause. She offers most of her paintings for sale on her website.