Pots of brilliantly colored paint, along with artist smocks, paint brushes and other tools of the trade were on hand June 27 at Ensen Park for the park’s fourth community painting day.
Across a cinder block wall along the park parking lot and neighboring apartment complex, a group of volunteers flexed their artistic muscles and with each brush stroke brought a vibrant mural to life.
“The lady signifies the storyteller—the mother,” said Jose Ortiz, artistic director for Hijos Del Sol, a local nonprofit and experimental art studio in east Salinas. The group is leading the community mural project at the newly opened 6-acre public park and 67-acre restoration area currently under construction.
The design for the mural, with its bold imagery depicting local flora and wildlife captures the natural beauty of the area and its Indigenous heritage. “Ensen” is an Indigenous word for blackberry, an important food source for Indigenous peoples in and around Carr Lake.
The vision behind the mural was developed through a public engagement process that included input from students, park visitors, the local Indigenous community and neighboring residents.
On Saturday, a mockup of the mural was laid out across five laminated sheets. Volunteers picked a panel and then set out to work. The painting, which kicked off earlier this month, is done in layers. When the mural is complete it will stretch out across the parking lot, creating a horizon of color.
“The great thing is the wall is only 5 feet tall, so we do not have get any scaffolding,” said Ortiz, who founded Hijos Del Sol to provide art instruction, a studio space and mentorship to artists of all ages across Salinas and Monterey County more than 30 years ago.
Ortiz is also a creator and teacher of mural painting—his work and influence can be viewed at over 80 mobile and permanent mural works on public buildings and structures around Monterey County and beyond.
“The landscape is so beautiful—in the fall, the sky is a feast for the eyes,” said Ortiz, who lives near the park and recounted how the setting changes throughout the year, noting the diversity of wildlife around Carr Lake during the rainy season—cranes, pelicans, ducks.
In the mural one can spot a hummingbird, eagle and coyote along with depictions of the sun and celestial bodies.
With the mural, Ortiz said, they wanted to show the beauty that is all around us.
“We live on a planet that is so amazing,” said Ortiz, his voice trailing off. “And that is just Ensen.”
This article originally appeared on Salinas Californian: A horizon of color: New mural goes up at Ensen Park in Salinas
Reporting by Roseann Cattani, Salinas Californian / Salinas Californian
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Roseann Cattani, Salinas Californian | USA TODAY Network
