World-Renowned Artist Wyland Pays Tribute to Maddie James in Laguna Niguel

In typical Wyland fashion, the artist known the world over for his hand-painted ocean life murals made a splash when he stopped by in Laguna Niguel to pay tribute to , 5, who died March 13 from an inoperable brain tumor.

The man who has painted thousands of ocean scenes on murals across the globe was invited by the school and the Maddie James Foundation to add his personal touch to a canvas in Maddie's name. The little girl loved the ocean and the foundation named for her is raising funds for the Maddie James Seaside Learning Center at the Ocean Institute in Dana Point, one of her favorite places to visit. About $300,000 has been raised so far.

"I never met Maddie but I knew she was having some challenges ... and when they asked me to paint the mural, I knew I had to be here," said Wyland, 54, a Detroit native.  "This is a great tribute to celebrate her life."

About 700 students who took part in the event at school gymnasium had an opportunity to add a stroke of artistic genius to the life-size blue canvas.

"This is so much fun. Maddie would have loved this," said Maddie's cousin Seth Tanner, 6.

Maddie's father, Collie, tried to hold back tears as he painted a shark on the canvas in a dark shade of grey.

"I used to paint with Maddie every day after school," he said, deep in concentration. "To be here today and to paint and connect with her again one more time is so special."

Wyland added his own mark as he drew on the canvas and then painted a large green sea turtle he called Maddie. The students went wild when he named the turtle, clapping and chanting Maddie.

"We're going to dedicate this mural to Maddie because she loved sea turtles, and I do, too," he said, dipping his paintbrush into a cup of yellow paint. "I've painted with 1 million kids around the globe and there is nothing more enjoyable. To stand up here and paint this turtle in her honor is wonderful and I am so glad you could all be a part of this special day."

The crowd was delighted to learn that Wyland has a turtle of his own—a 47-year-old he named Junior—that he adopted from the San Diego Humane Society.

Wyland went on to admonish the children to stay in school and earn good grades and reminded them to do their part to keep the ocean a safe and "special place."

A big round of applause rang out when Wyland paid homage to the teachers in the room as well as those across America.

"In America, we need to be paying our art teachers and all teachers the same amount that we pay our attorneys," he said. "We must protect education; it is terrible what has happened across the country to our schools."

Maddie's uncle Jesper Widen was touched by the event.

"It is very emotional to be here, but it really is a great experience," he said. "And to see how many people Maddie touched is amazing."

According to the head of school, Randy Adams, the Wyland canvas will be placed in either the preschool hallway or a kindergarten classroom. Maddie was a student at the school for a short time.

"We'll build a frame around it and put it in a very special place," he said. "Maddie's handprint that she did before she passed will also be placed beside it."

Just before he put the final touches on the mural, Wyland was asked a number of questions about his paintings, his favorite work of art and how he got his start. However, one of the most interesting questions of the morning came from Seth Tanner.

"What is Maddie the turtle swimming to?" Seth asked

"Well, she's swimming into the light and she has all of her friends around her in the shining, clean ocean," Wyland said. "And she is very happy."