What was your inspiration for this piece?

My inspiration for the piece was the conic places in Santa Cruz. The first half of the piece includes the Santa Cruz mountains, then there is an image of the Roaring Camp Train, the town clock in downtown Santa Cruz, and the old Cooper house. The very center of the piece is the Petroglyph building. The previous owners of the building owned a music shop in the 60’s. There are instruments in the windows and music notes floating out through the whole piece. The second half of the mural includes the beach, the Giant Dipper, Seal Rock, and then ends with the ocean.

What was the biggest challenge/success you encountered when creating this piece?

One of the biggest challenges with this piece was it’s size. I wanted to make sure that I kept a consistent theme so that it all blended together. So I created a border for the whole mural and had the music notes radiating from the center and throughout the whole piece. The weather was another challenge. It was often very cold in the mornings and very hot in the afternoons. I even attempted to build a screen for protection that was destroyed by the wind.

What was the process of designing like?

In the process of designing, I used themes and locations that spoke to me and were prominent in Santa Cruz. I had to get the drawing okayed by the city, which went well. I then had to trace the design onto the wall and began painting.

What kind of public art would you like to see more of in Santa Cruz?

I would like to see more murals in Santa Cruz. Although it still happens, vandals are more likely to respect a mural, therefore it’s likely that people won’t tag it. So, if a building is having a graffiti problem, I suggest that the business invest in murals to help prevent it. Murals also create a nicer environment for the business.