WORLD'S A STAGE A.V. ARTIST USES GLOBAL THEATER IMAGES FOR MURAL.

Byline: Peggy Hager Staff Writer

LANCASTER - Colorful images of theatrical masks, puppets and William Shakespeare have transformed the gray north wall of Antelope Valley College's theater.

The mural was created by AVC graduate Trish Burnett-Corrigan, who has also created a mural for the Naval Air Station Hospital in Corpus Christi, Texas, and contributed to a mural in the Michael D. Antonovich Antelope Valley Courthouse.

``I see the joy ... that this has brought people that would never go to an art gallery but walk by here and go, Hey, I really like that,'' said Burnett-Corrigan.

The college Theatre Department will commemorate the mural at 3 p.m. May 18.

Burnett-Corrigan had one mandate when she began the project - to incorporate theater styles from around the world. The mural's images refer to kabuki and kyogen from Japan, wayang kulit shadow puppetry from Indonesia, xiqu from China and Comedia dell'Arte from Italy, as well as including a portrait of Shakespeare and the English puppet Punch.

Burnett-Corrigan worked on the murals from September to December, often for six to eight hours a day.

``When you're really in your zone and you're painting, three hours can go by like nothing, but somebody can walk up behind me and make a comment and I'll jump out of my skin, I'm so focused on what I'm doing,'' she said.

A Palmdale mother of four grown children, Burnett-Corrigan has her own business as a sign painter and muralist.

She still attends classes at AVC, most recently studying auto body painting. Her idea is to put fine art on motorcycle fuel tanks and cars.

``I have this theory, and I think I've rubbed a few people the wrong way, but I believe that ... galleries are wonderful but every day most people see art in murals and they see it on cars and they see it on a motorcycle tank and the hood of a car,'' explained Burnett-Corrigan. ``Where are they going to see art? It's going to be out in their everyday life. And that's what draws me to the idea of automotive as art, everyday outdoor accessible, public format art.''

Burnett-Corrigan was born in Corpus Christie and grew up around guys working on cars.

``I finished my first motorcycle tank and I painted a beer keg. I just wanted to practice it,'' she said. ``You want to drive yourself crazy, paint something that goes around and around and around.''

Peggy Hager, [phone]

peggy.grimm-hager(at)dailynew.com

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Photo:

(1 -- color) Trish Burnett-Corrigan has created a mural depic ting theater traditions from around the world on a wall of the AVC theater. An Indonesian shadow puppet, left, William Shakespeare and a Chinese opera character are shown.

(2 -- color) AVC graduate Trish Burnett-Corrigan describes the Greek tragicomedy masks that adorn her mural on a wall of the Antelope Valley College theater.

David Sprague/Staff Photographer