Face painting for love

Dave Wrathall is a 24-year-old Cal State Long Beach film and media studies alumnus. Unable to obtain the funds to enroll in classes for a second bachelor’s, he stands barefoot on north campus painting faces for free.

“I fell in love with doing it. It’s such a beautiful thing,” Wrathall said.

Wrathall had a typical upbringing. He was raised in Monrovia, where he went to high school and took an interest in video production. He continued his education at CSULB and received his degree last year in film and media studies. Upon graduation, he quickly landed a job. But what may have been a graduate’s dream became his nightmare.

“I was clumped in an office all day,” said Wrathall. “I felt like I was socially in prison. After nine months I decided to quit.”

He believed an office wasn’t the place for him at that time in his life. Instead he went back to school to hold up signs for everyone to see. He started off protesting the war, but soon realized he might be putting out a “negative vibe.” He said he stood strongly for what he believed in, but wasn’t there to force everyone else to believe in it. So he made new signs promoting a more universal belief: Love.

Although campus officials moved Wrathall from his original post on the sidewalk near the bookstore, he is here to stay. He said they told him that particular area is off-limits to solicitation and, after he refused to move, citing free speech, they said they would file a restraining order against him if he continued with his refusal.

When contacted, University Police Capt. Fernando Solorzano said he wasn’t familiar with Wrathall’s particular case, but explained that the annually-published regulation book is very specific as to where solicitation may or may not take place.

“We do have regulations in regards to solicitation and that is what the campus expects them to follow,” Solorzano said.

The area that Wrathall once occupied, the walkway between the psychology building and Faculty Offices 3, according to Page 38 of the regulation book, is one of the areas off-limits to solicitation. His new spot, which he enjoys more, is on the grass between Peterson Hall 2 and FO3.

Since last March, he’s spent Monday through Thursday outside CSULB classrooms, promoting peace and spreading love throughout campus.

The sign he holds reads, “Love Everyone.”

His sentences are short and he chuckles between each word, but the emotion he feels compels him to be at CSULB. Along with free face paintings, he also gives free hugs. He gets a small rush during lunchtime as people flock to him in groups.

Natalie Navarrete, a 17-year-old Oceanview High School student visiting on a field trip, wanted to get a heart with the word love on it painted on her face.

“It’s so colorful and looked like a cool thing to do,” Navarrete said.

When she got her face painted, art education major Valerie Garza said, “It was a beautiful day and I thought it would be a fun thing to do.”

Besides reminding students to love everyone, Wrathall works at Coco’s on the weekends and hopes to come back to CSULB as a student, but not to continue his studies in film and media.

“When I was going to school learning about the media and stuff, I learned that media puts out crap,” said Wrathall. “It puts out fear, telling us to always lock our doors. We are such a TV-influenced society. We need to take away all that fear and crap and counterbalance it with love.”

Wrathall hasn’t watched TV in two years.

But since the budget cuts, he said it’s difficult for him to come back and get a second bachelor’s degree. Until he figures out what he wants to do, he is perfectly content standing on campus with his bare feet, spreading love and peace from his own heart.

Wrathall may have had to change his spot, but his goal to promote love and peace remains.

“I think our world is going through incredible changes right now,” Wrathall said. “And you have to choose between love or fear. Choose love, man.”