BUCHANAN — Seventeen-year-old Buchanan High School student Cora Schau loves to paint. So, when she got the opportunity to have her work prominently displayed in a building in Buchanan, she jumped at the chance.

“It’s so exciting,” Schau said. “I can’t wait for everyone to see it.”

Schau recently completed work on a mural for Redbud Fitness and Lifestyle Center’s new building, located at 500 E. Third St., Buchanan, which is set to open in January 2018. Schau’s mural, a multi-colored haze of flowers and leaves, will be displayed on one wall in the center’s children’s room.

Redbud Fitness owner Teresa Green reached out to Schau about doing a mural in the facility after seeing Schau’s work on Facebook. In particular, Green recalls Schau posted work she had done on a brick wall, which spurred her to contact Schau.

“She’s a senior in high school and I didn’t know her, but her work came across my newsfeed and I just thought it was great,” Green said. “I was really impressed with who she is and what she’s about.”

Though she gave Schau a general interpretation for what she wanted in the mural, such as something with a lot of color to stimulate the children in the room, Green said she gave Schau a lot of artistic freedom.

Green said she values creative vision, which is why art will be prominently displayed throughout her new building, with the local art showcased throughout the building, from a handmade desk to prints from local artists.

“I had no interest in telling her what do. I just wanted to let that artistic process flow,” Green said of Schau. “I would just check in from time to time to see the work she was doing, and kept giving her feedback that I absolutely loved it.”

Schau said she has been working on the mural since September, finding time in between school and sports practices to paint, in order to make sure that the mural turned out just right.

Having first started painting when she was going through a tough personal time, Schau said that painting has become cathartic for her. She began painting murals at her own home, taking art classes at school and selling her work.

“I needed something bright and happy in my life, so I started [painting], and it just became a new beginning for me,” she said. “I just try to showcase happiness in my stuff.”

Schau carried that philosophy towards her work into the mural at the fitness center, saying she added the colors and shapes to make the children who use the room happy.

“I didn’t want to over stimulate them, but I wanted to give them something to enjoy that they can look at,” she said.

Green said she couldn’t be happier with Schau’s final product and has even discussed the possibility of Schau doing more artwork for the fitness center.

For her part, Schau said she is relieved to finally have finished the mural and for it to have gained the approval of Green.

“I really can’t wait for people to come in and see. I can’t wait to come back from college next year and be able to bring my friends and say, ‘look, I did this,’” Schau said. “I just hope it makes everyone as happy as I was painting it.”