Today’s flashback is to Allison Hueman‘s 2017 mural Bloom, spotted in 2019 in downtown LA’s Arts District. The mural pays tribute to local community activist Joel Bloom, who passed away in 2007.
For more work by Hueman, also check out her Instagram.
These three murals by British artist David Puck were created for Sacramento’s 2019 Wide Open Walls mural festival.
You can find their most recent work on Instagram.
Pictured are two murals from artist Lin Fei Fei‘s Introspection series, located in Sacramento.
She is also the founder of Sacramento’s Inbetween Tattoo + Arts, which includes an arts studio and gallery space.
Going all the way back to 2015 today for this mural by El MAC, Augustine Kofie, and Joseph ‘Nuke’ Montalvo. La Abuelita/Má’sání, a portrait of Diné (Navajo) weaver Martha Gorman Schultz, is located on the outside of The American Hotel in Los Angeles.
From El MAC (Miles MacGregor)’s website about the mural-
“The portrait is painted entirely with aerosol and fatcaps, and is based on photos I shot a few years ago of an artist named Martha Gorman Schultz. She is a Navajo blanket weaver from northern Arizona, and part of a respected family of weavers including her granddaughter, Melissa Cody.
I felt this painting of Martha could be an empowering representation of beauty not often depicted in public art or media. Beauty that is feminine, elderly, indigenous, loving and powerful.
The building this mural was painted on was constructed in 1901, and you can imagine how much Los Angeles history it’s seen over the last hundred years or so.
This was an especially collaborative effort- Along with the work of Kofie and Nuke surrounding the figure, SKILL UTI painted the wall to the left, integrating an already existing piece by DASH 2000(Rest In Peace). SWAN provided ground support, along with CHEE, AISE, BLK, OFIER, SELEK, CALVYRUS and some other younger members of UTI crew, which has been painting these walls for the last few decades.”
Sadly, Martha Gorman Schultz passed away in February of last year at the age of 93. For more information on her life and work, check out Hyperallergic’s tribute.
This colorful mural by Iker Muro (aka MurOne) was created for the 2018 edition of Sacramento’s Wide Open Walls Festival.
From Wide Open Walls about the artist-
Iker Muro (MurOne) is an illustrator and graphic designer who began creating public murals in 2002. Born in Bilbao, Spain, Muro describes his work as “an acid mixture of pop culture, graffiti, illustration, and graphic design.” As a youth, he began painting on skateboards and drawing caricatures of teachers and classmates at his desk in the back of the classroom. He went on to complete his studies in graphic design and has worked in many different disciplines including graffiti, graphic design, prints, and large-scale murals.
Muro’s vibrant, bold murals strike a distinctive balance between design and art. His work draws from his extensive international travels, and he takes inspiration from whatever city he is painting in. “Travelling and discovering different cultures is a gift,” he says. “I feel lucky to make my living with what I love, I don’t know what will happen in the future, I don’t have a job and a stable life, but painting and giving life to places that don’t have any is very gratifying.”
For more of his work, also check out his Instagram.
Mural by Annie Preece
Mural by Sébastien Walker
Mural by Ivan Preciado
Mural by Ivan Preciado
Mural by Jules Muck
These murals were created for Melrose Avenue Elementary School in Los Angeles in 2015.
Alegria del Prado (artists Esther del Prado from Spain and Octavio Alegria from Mexico) created this mural in Sacramento before their 2017 exhibition at the 1810 Gallery.
Denver-based artist Patrick Kane McGregor created this mural for the 2021 edition of Wide Open Walls Festival in Sacramento.
From the Wide Open Walls website about the artist-
Patrick “Kane” McGregor’s painting style starts with roots in graffiti and letters. In the next phase of art study he gained application, color theory and anatomy skills painting at various hand painted billboard companies over the last three decades. With the newfound knowledge of brushes and oil paints, he now explores portraiture more and found a love for it. Most his work now is based in realism, sometimes using impressionism and abstract ideas for scale or effect while exploring the use of color. Patrick enjoys painting animals, especially dogs, as they are a big part of his life. He has a deep appreciation and pride for canines in his paintings and likes to represent them majestically as they live in the moment.
This mural by Micah Crandall-Bear was created for Sacramento’s Wide Open Walls Festival in 2017.
From the Wide Open Walls website about the artist-
Micah Crandall-Bear’s abstract landscape paintings examine Earth’s intrinsic resources and our disposition toward their accelerated transformation. His concept is infused with linear layers that cascade from atmospheric to subterranean. Landscape details hint at daily and seasonal shifts in light, evoking a sense of evolution and balance. In an ever-increasing technological world, his work reminds us to pause and admire our wild and natural surroundings. He presents abstractions that inspire a deep and effusive connection to nature.
Crandall-Bear achieves longitudinal depth by exacting precisely rendered lines and seamless expanses of color. This explicitly composed depth communicates a sense of contingency and locality. Micah’s construction of space is enhanced by his painting method. His ‘wet-on-wet’ method is a contemporary application of ‘alla prima,’ a traditional technique used mostly in oil painting, where layers of wet paint are applied to previous layers of wet paint. No matter how precise or general the area, Micah’s layered brushstrokes are decisive, but also gestural, often spanning the entire surface of the canvas from left to right. This highly active method of painting is sometimes tempered through rapid buffing and blending. The outcome is a smooth, boundless, and energetic surface.
As a Northern California native, Crandall-Bear established his artistic roots locally and continues to promote the growth of his community. His reputation brings him consistent national and international attraction from both private and public collectors. Micah’s work now adorns the walls of prominent corporations throughout the country, university hospitals, Facebook data centers in Malaysia, Sweden, and more. His work has been featured in ArtSlant, American Art Collector Magazine, Forbes, and PBS.
Artwork by Jennifer Korsen aka humansmakeart
The devastation and loss from the fires in Los Angeles has been heartbreaking.
If you are looking for a way to help, several organizations have put together fundraisers-
Contemporary Art Review LA has put together an extensive spreadsheet that, along with fundraisers by organizations, also includes Go Fund Me pages for individuals and businesses
@griefxhope has set up a fundraiser and information on mutual aid for artists and artworkers impacted by the fires
Anti-Recidivism Coalition is taking donations to support the incarcerated fire crews that have worked tirelessly to help put out the fires (write “firefighter fund” on the donation)
Pasadena Humane has been caring for animals injured in the fires and those needing to be sheltered, as well as providing supplies to pet owners in need