What was your inspiration for this piece?

I looked to jazz album covers from the 50’s and 60’s. The piece was based off of Kuumbwa Jazz Center’s 35 year anniversary. The mural was partly to promote and honor that celebration as well as to help beautify the city. That alley was specifically was getting tagged a lot, and so the mural was also partly to help stop that from happening. Plummer presented the idea to showcase their artists in duo tone and monochromatic imagery and he used photos of old bands that had played at the club.

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

The wall’s in an active alleyway, so there’s a lot of traffic. The whole process was filmed, so I also had to keep an eye on my camera while I was painting. The weather was often very hot and windy. But the plus side of the location of the mural was that I got to meet and become friends with a lot of the locals who occupied the building.

What was the process of designing and fabrications like?

Based on the space available, I chose five musicians to feature. I created a mock up on the computer and then created a grid. Next I used charcoal to trace the image onto the wall, they simply began painting.

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

I’d like to see more murals. There are numerous blank walls that I’d love to see used for art. I also have this idea that Santa Cruz could close down a large street like Pacific Avenue and do chalk drawings on the road. This would call people from all over to come and participate and it would be a great way to involve the community.