East Idaho seniors create asphalt masterpieces in high school parking spaces

IDAHO FALLS — You probably wouldn't expect to find a famous artist's drawing or a giant golf ball in a high school parking lot. But two local seniors have transformed their assigned parking spaces into elaborate works of asphalt art with help from a professional artist who happens to be family. Jacob Secrest teamed up with his son, Crue Secrest, a senior at Idaho Falls High School, and his nephew, Jeffrey Eskelson, a senior at Bonneville High School, to bring their visions to life. Jeffrey chose a parking spot focused on golf. 'When I found out I could do a senior parking spot, the first thing that came to mind is that I'll talk to Uncle Jacob since he's a professional artist,' Jeffrey said. 'After I sent him my ideas for my spot, he made them a reality. It was cool to watch it as it came to life, especially the golf ball.' Crue went in a completely different direction. His parking space was inspired by Salvador Dalí's famous surrealist painting 'The Elephants,' which features elephants with long, thin legs. 'How many other spots are a master study?' he said. Secrest and the boys spent several days planning the compositions, transferring the designs onto the pavement and then painting the large-scale pieces. 'These projects gave us a chance to make something memorable together,' Secrest told EastIdahoNews.com. 'They both had very different ideas, and helping them make their visions come alive was a lot of fun.' Secrest has an extensive art background, with his work being featured by The Local Galleria in Driggs and the Dutch Art Gallery in Dallas. He works primarily in acrylic, charcoal, watercolor and ink. While covering art classes at Linden Park Elementary a few years ago, Secrest helped students create large-scale studies of famous paintings. Those works now line the school's walls. But two of his latest creations won't be hanging in a gallery. They're under the tires of a couple of high school seniors. Here are some photos of the process: