Artists' Perspective: Murals by Raina Wirta and TJ Black

Raina Wirta, lead artist and mural designer, and TJ Black, artist and collaborator. Photos by Allie Appel

“As lead design artist for this project, I developed the concept for three walls of the Joe Ridley building [next to the Spanish Moon]. It is owned by Patrick Ricard, who uses part of it for his woodworking studio. It was also once a shared studio space with local artist Randell Henry. Beautifying his building has been in the works since last year and it became a reality with the Love Our Community program, a summer youth employment program through the Mayor’s Office in partnership with The Walls Project.

I visited the site a few times before and during the design phase to take pictures of moss, insects and the environment. It’s a pretty serene location, especially so since you can hear the sound of the water from the canal nearby and that spot is teeming with dragonflies.

Spanish Moon mural — Wirta works on the mural near the end of the project.

The mural is inspired by the diversity of the ecosystem and the history of the building. I have an obsession with mushrooms, and wanted to create a fantastical, larger than life mushroom land that channels the vibrant colors of the psychedelic era of music.

Love Our Community typically has two artists per mural, so I invited TJ Black to work alongside me [both artists are pictured on the intro page of the Culture section]. Working with TJ was a blast. Our styles, ethos and approach to mural painting are a great match.

The side wall [Spanish Moon entrance side] is a recreation of a Randell Henry collage from 1983 as an homage to the artist’s studio. The front wall is a collage of elements from Henry’s collages, Ricard’s signature lines and colorful abstraction.

Working with the kids was a great experience. It’s a crash course in painting, on a huge scale, but also for some kids their first experience working a job. My goal is to educate them not only about painting and technique, but also good craftsmanship and work ethic.”

—As described by Raina Wirta

Check out more photos from the mural project below: