Advanced Art Class Rejuvenates Its Mural
Fabian Sanchez is the coordinator of all the art classes conducted at Ensenada’s cultural hub, CEARTE. He’s the man responsible for giving a special assignment to local artist and muralist, Esther Gomez, who also works in the main museum as curator and guide. He asked her to lead a class of advanced art students (some of whom are accomplished artists in their own right) in a special project: Create a unique mural on the outside wall of the class itself.
The building that served as the location for the class – and the project – was the small brick building in the parking lot north of the main complex.
Esther wanted something colorful, something with a local flavor and something….well…bigger than life!
So she chose as the theme for the mural a depiction of insects native to Baja California.
In order to make the images of the bugs realistic interpretations, the class took photos of real insects – spiders, bees, flies, dragonflies, etc. – enlarged them, and used the enlarged photos to create intricate stencils that were then used as guides to apply the brightly-colored paint to the surface of the building.
The original project was a smashing success, and the mural has graced the walls of that building for several months. Before long, however, the elements took their toll on the mural’s sheen, diminishing its sharpness and clarity.
To resolve that problem, Esther gathered members of the original class – Alaska Hernandez, Adriana Martinez, Roberto Gutierrez, Tannia Ortega, Claudia Durazo, Malena Duran, Amaranta Guevara, Hector Perez, Cecilio Islas and Mario de la Cruz – and did a restoration process of the mural on the evening of June 20th, the last day of spring.
Using newly created stencils, and newly mixed paint, the crew worked to rejuvenate their beloved bugs, using all the care and attention to detail that they had employed on the original project.
Meanwhile, as new life was being given to old bugs, another wall of the same building was being prepared with a white base coat as the scene for the next mural project.
Esther said that the theme for the new wall will be native plants of Baja….
