El Centro Mural
Tulsa, Oklahoma | July 2024
Aerosol on brick
For this mural at El Centro, I wanted to experiment with a simpler approach and challenge the feeling that a mural always needs to cover the entire wall.
Instead of filling every part of the space, I chose to leave much of the original brick exposed and focus the artwork on individual elements. Birds, butterflies, and embroidery-inspired flowers were painted across the surface, allowing the architecture and natural texture of the brick to become part of the finished piece.
Sometimes knowing where not to paint can be just as important as knowing where to add more.
While the composition was intentionally simple, everything included in the mural had meaning.
The scissor tailed flycatcher, Oklahoma’s state bird, represented the place we call home. The colorful hummingbird represented the Latin community and the energy and life within it. Monarch butterflies carried another connection to our community, while the embroidery-inspired flowers represented culture and tradition.
Together, these elements created something that connected Oklahoma with Latin culture and the community El Centro serves.
This project also came during a transitional period in my own life. There was a lot changing for me personally at the time, which made completing the mural more challenging than what someone might see from the finished photographs.
But I made it happen.
Looking back, I think there is something fitting about creating a piece centered around movement, migration, nature, home, and tradition during a period when I was also experiencing change in my own life.
I’m thankful I was trusted with the opportunity to create this piece and contribute something meaningful to the space.
