Erica Fink, a sophomore in the school of Art and Design, grew up near what her mother called "a big, ugly, brown, wooden fence."

Fink didn't see it that way, though. She saw the fence between Nixon Road and Plymouth Road near Huron Parkway as a canvas.

"It seemed an obvious place for something beautiful to happen," Fink said.

Now the fence screams with a colorful abstraction of people in their environment.

The project - called "The Story of a Million Flowers" - is Fink's first mural. It spans about 1,000 feet along the fence.

More than 300 volunteers, including kindergartners and retired professors, have helped with the project. Work on the mural, which began May 15, is scheduled to finish in November.

Fink said she aimed to contrast the technological world by displaying natural themes changing through the four seasons.

Fink painted the outlines and chose the colors herself, leaving colored marks in blank spaces on the fence where her helpers would later paint, much like a paint-by-number.

Maxine Larrouy, who lives near the mural, said the area no longer lacks pizzazz.

"It's absolutely beautiful, and I like the fact that it's childish," said Larrouy, whose husband David lobbied neighborhoods for money to support Fink's project. "It is so different."

Fink had to start the process one person at a time.

Because the properties lining the fence are privately owned, she required the permission of community residents whose houses touched the fence.

Permission was granted by all but one of the 19 homeowners. The one who didn't grant authorization was abroad at the time and was concerned about maintenance, Erica said.

The concerned resident's home leaves a hole in the otherwise continuous picture, which is about 6,000 square feet.

Although the project's completion is over a month away, many from the area have found inspiration in the mural.

"I am lucky enough to live just a few blocks from the mural," said Pierre Wickramarachi. "It really shows that young people have an amazing potential in our community. We need more of those examples of involvement in our youth in our community."