Local artist Lou Kregel has been very busy lately. Kregel’s vibrant, algorithmic art is being spread about town in regulated abundance, in local businesses, at bus stops and now in a neighborhood school. The best known of her designs is perhaps the chrysanthemum image, a vivid abstraction of a common flower, exaggerated in size and painted using a monochromatic pallette. The chrysanthemum has significance in the ancient philosophy and practice of Feng Shui, symbolizing a life of ease and balance, and bringing good luck to those who place the flowers in strategic areas of their home. So far, there are six of Kregel’s chrysanthemums in Athens.
Kregel recently painted a chrysanthemum on the wall of the Media Center at Oglethorpe Avenue Elementary School. The project was first suggested to her by school librarian Deirdre Sugiuchi, who asked Kregel if she would be interested in painting a chrysanthemum in the library. “It hadn't occurred to me to do one in a school, so I was thrilled to have the chance,” reports Kregel. By donating her time and her design, Kregel says she hopes to create something beautiful for the public to enjoy.
