As he sits at his table stressed out unable to focus on his AP studio art project, senior Joe Cebuhar decides to take a minute to de-stress by painting the statue of Godzilla.
“He came out of the back storage room of the art room out of the fires of the kiln,” said Cebuhar.
Cebuhar was able to talk art teacher Mrs. Vicki Delozier into allowing him to keep the Godzilla. Since he has kept the Godzilla, Cebuhar has painted the Godzilla nine different times and each time he paints it, the pattern is different from the first.
“A student had left it unfinished and I didn’t have room to keep it,” said Mrs. Delozier. “It’s like the horses outside the floral shops.”
While painting, it is very easy for Cebuhar to get side tracked from his actual art projects, but some leniency is shown when he sits down to work on the Godzilla.
“I’ll know when he gets stressed and I let him paint it,” said Mrs. Delozier. “I take it for granted and I don’t hassle him when he is painting.”
When he paints, the ideas that Cebuhar comes up with also get worked into his other artwork. His inspiration for the different coats comes when he sees an interesting color or when he gets bored. As he paints the statue, he has one goal.
“I think about bringing him to life,” said Cebuhar. “I apply what I paint on him to my other artwork.”
Painting the Godzilla has a purpose more than entertainment.
“When I get stressed out about art or get a good idea I paint him,” said Cebuhar. “It’s easier than painting a car.”
Most people use physical activity as a stress reliever thinking that exerting a lot of energy will get the mind off of what they may be stressing about. Cebuhar takes a different approach to coping with his stress.
“I paint because it is not as exhausting as running,” said Cebuhar. “It is a mental stress reliever rather than physical.”
As fourth quarter of his senior year is coming to an end, the decision of what to do with the Godzilla statue is a lingering question waiting to be answered. Godzilla may be making the trip to college with Cebuhar, or may be passed down to another art student in need of a release.
“It would be really cool to pass him down and continue the legacy,” said Cebuhar.