https://vimeo.com/88613647
Many people who look at the earth-toned buildings that make up Phoenix may see just that – buildings. But when artist Adrian Dominic looks at the city, he sees canvases. Last weekend he got to turn one of those canvases into a new work of art, as part of a larger mural-painting event.
Paint PHX was a multi-location mural painting festival running March 6-9. Wall spaces around Phoenix were up for grabs on the event’s Facebook page for anyone wishing to contribute, some of them on the sides of businesses and some just around backyards. Over 50 artists participated, according to a flyer distributed about the event.
Dominic and other artists painted a new mural on the wall of the Bragg’s Pie Factory’s parking lot. The artists divided the wall segments amongst themselves, but the overarching theme of the mural is the work of Dr. Seuss, to celebrate National Reading Month in March.
The layers of paint that formed yellow Sneetches, characters from one of Dr. Seuss’ children’s books, actually covered up another, older mural by Dominic. Beatrice Moore, owner of the Bragg’s building and its adjacent parking lot, said Dominic had painted a mural on the lot before on the theme of recycling, but she felt it was time for a fresh coat of paint and a new message.
“I like the way he thinks as far as having it be more than just a pretty picture,” Moore said.
An artist herself, Moore said she is happy lower Grand Avenue has become so colorful, because it wasn’t always that way.
“It just livens up the streets, especially in an area like Grand Avenue where we’ve had a lot of challenges with gangs and drugs and prostitution,” Moore said. “It’s nice to take the streets back with street art that anybody can look at.”
Dominic said he’s been painting since a young age. While growing up, he said it’s not that there was no art, because there was always graffiti around the city. And that wasn’t always a bad thing, because graffiti culture and mural art are inseparable.
“(Graffiti writers) try to one-up the next guy. And so when you see somebody do a piece, then you want to do a bigger piece,” he said. “Then you want to do a background. … The next thing you know you start getting into graphic art and before you know it you’re doing full-blown masterpieces on walls.”
Lalo Cota, who painted near Third and Roosevelt streets this weekend, said a couple years ago it was common to have the police called on him when he painted in public spaces. But today, businesses want artists to paint on their walls.
“I think businesses finally caught on that if they contract artists and get a mural they’ll stop getting graffitied,” Cota said. Murals attract people who want to take photos of and in front of the artwork, which can also help the business bring in more customers, he said.
Dominic regards graffiti as one of the biggest art movements of all time and sees mural art as intertwined with it. Photos of the Paint PHX murals available on its Facebook event page reveal that traditional graffiti art is still relevant in the city’s mural scene.
Some artists incorporated tagging into their murals while others, like Cota, tag their art in a different way. Cota said his part of the mural, a female skeleton, exhibits his signature style.
“I don’t actually have to sign it, the piece itself is my signature,” Cota said.
Artist JB Snyder contributed to the same mural as Cota, but he also helped with the event at large. Snyder owns Fifth Street Paint Supply in the Roosevelt Row area. The two-month-old store sold spray cans to Paint PHX artists at wholesale value, totaling about $1,800 in supplies for the event, Snyder said.
Paint PHX coincided with Art Detour weekend, adding a live mural painting element to the already packed arts event. Although the artists are finished now, their work can be seen downtown in the Roosevelt Row area and lower Grand Avenue, and also along Calle 16.
Contact the reporter at ascline1@asu.edu.
