After looking at Blaine High school’s art which litters most of the walls by the art department, we find that BHS is a school filled with artists. These artists express their work on the walls and become part of the history of BHS. But there is one artist who stands out. Matt Lacosse, a graduate of Blaine high school in 1995,  later became an artist by profession and still is making art. Before his professional career, Lacosse made a memorable painting at BHS. This particular painting, a wolf with a background of a dark forest, took Lacosse a whole school year to paint because of his special style of brushing. This technique takes so long that i
t prevented him from doing art full time.

Surprisingly In 1995 there were a lot more murals and paintings on the walls, but Mr. Nelson from the art department is sad to say that “Now they are painted over.” Nelson is a substitute who was at BHS when Lacosse was painting the work of art.  Mr.Nelson still remembers seeing him paint vividly.

Looking around the school, many people walk by the paintings without a second glance. As shown in the picture on the right “Not many people know about it” says Mr.Nelson while looking at the painting, “It’s still vivid but very easy to walk by.” Because of the distinct style of the mural, the threat of getting painted over isn’t very immediate. It’s difficult to let go of 20 years of history. 

I was fortunate enough to be able to talk to Mr.Lacosse about his painting and what it’s like being an artist. “It’s one of my biggest pieces” says Matt Lacosse. He currently has a company by the name of Lacosse Wildlife Art which is located in Minneapolis and is up and functioning. The inspiration which was the cause of Mr.Lacosse making this painting was the “Northern woods, winter” says Mr.Lacosse, “The inspiration was in the eyes” he says. When asked about his technique the artist replied, “ I do layered brushing, which takes a long time.” Indeed it does, it took Lacosse an entire school year to complete his masterpiece. 

This painting, when first introduced to the public eye in 1995, was featured in the the channel 5 news and in some local newspapers like the “Blaine Banner” and the “ABC newspaper.” When asked about art competitions Lacosse stated that, “I could have entered in a competition, but I was too busy with my painting”.  With all of the care and time it took Lacosse to create the painting in BHS, it is hard not to feel like the mural should be appreciated more for it’s style and how it expresses wildlife. Though the painting’s origins might not be acknowledged, the dedication of the artist will not be wasted.