Carlsbad Art and Culture

What inspired this mural? How did you chose the words?
This mural was commissioned by New Village Arts and the Carlsbad Charitable Foundation to celebrate the vibrant and growing art community in Carlsbad. The piece is a reflection on the growing creative community of Carlsbad. A nameless brick mason hunched over, hard at work creating a vibrant wall, one brick at a time. The mason represents the effort of both the artists and the philanthropic efforts of those who are funding these public projects. The wall itself, eternally a “work in progress” represents Carlsbad in its current state- growing, vibrant, unique. The words that make up the piece are the words that represent Carlsbad (to me). I asked several locals what Carlsbad meant to them. I asked them if they had to summarize it in one word what word would it be. The collection of words that make up the mural are, for the most part, the most common words supplied by the community.

How did you go about planning this mural?
My only requirement with the mural was that the design was something I had not previously created. There were a few different elements that went into the planning of this mural: Design: After thinking about the project, and what I wanted this mural to represent Color: I spent an evening researching my favorite street art pieces, particularly the most colorful pieces I could find, and assembled a palate of colors. Video: Perhaps the biggest difference with this piece compared to traditional canvas work is the method I used to record it. It just so happened that this project lined up with the opportunity to create content using the new HTC One. I decided to try and shoot the entire time lapse video using nothing more than the phone.

What was your experience painting in the Carlsbad Village?
I didn’t know what to expect painting on location. I assumed the wall was a tad “off the beaten path” so to speak. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Between all three days I spent painting there was never more than a half hour that went by without someone stopping to look at the wall, talk about the project, or snap a quick photo. Even people who did not stop made a point to toss a nod or a quick thumbs up my way as the design came together.

What is your goal with this piece?
My goal with the piece was to create something vibrant, something eye catching, something unique. Carlsbad is an amazing town. I feel this piece fits in with the local community because it’s unique, a little quirky, and fun. I want it to brighten people’s day. Plain and simple.

The artistic culture of the Carlsbad Village has grown in the past 5 years. What do you enjoy about it and in what ways do you feel it can improve?
I love the creative community in Carlsbad Village. I had no idea when I moved here there was such a unique art culture with strong contenders in both the “traditional art” and “street art” scenes all mixed into one vibrant community. As for improvements, I would like to see a lot more of the younger local talent putting work on display. I love seeing new work from Snyder or Viz make the rounds, but I know there’s got to be a ton of new talent out there who have yet to take the effort and get work on display somewhere. I always look to places like Vinaka Cafe and Relm Wine Bar for up and coming artists. With that said, I see every business that still doesn’t have local art on their wall as an opportunity for someone new to come in and put work on display.

See this mural in person at 2680 State Street. (map)

Click HERE to learn more about Tekst Art!