Concetta Morales knows how to put a twist into her art. After several other projects around Iowa, including work at the Five Sullivan Brothers Convention Center in Waterloo, a rest stop for the Department of Transportation in Mitchellville, and Upper Iowa University, Morales has tried to turn bland into beautiful.

Recently, though, she was given a unique challenge by the city of Ames.

Morales, a Des Moines artist, was asked to turn the Ames skate park into more than just a place to grind on rails. Morales chose to do a mosaic in this unique space.

“Mosaic is a process where you use pieces of marble, granite and porcelain almost like a puzzle,” Morales says.

“After you lay the tile and fill in areas of color, you set it in a mortar bed.”

The work is finished by putting grout between the tiles.

With the help of at least a dozen eighth grade boys from the Ames Middle School, Morales hopes to have the mosaic completed by July 30. The wall will be about 18 inches from the ground so spectators and skaters will have something to sit on.

The work of art is called Mimics Tricks.

All of the boys helping out with the project use the skate park frequently and Morales says they worked together on the design and process Tuesdays and Thursdays last winter.

Morales says the boys were very interested in helping and the design of the project represents their interest in skating, including areas representing staircases, s-curves and other tricks a skater would do.

There are also pyramid shaped panels with different angles to represent ramps.

“I felt like we did a good community outreach,” she says.

The boys worked with Morales at Creative Artists Studios, 130 S. Sheldon Ave., where they helped place the mosaic pieces on durock, which is a weather resistant, cement backing.

Creative Artists Studios allowed the group use of a designated room rent-free from October through December. There, they were able to spread the work out and keep it safe when not working. When their time was up, Morales moved the work back to her Des Moines studio.

Morales has also been working with landscape architect Doug Adamson on a design to go around the wall in hopes that it will be attractive from all angles. She wants it to be a place where people can go, reflect and relax.

“We want to call it an art garden,” Morales says. “It will be seen from the street level and something for both spectators and skaters to enjoy.”