The third annual Wide Open Walls Festival is just a few days away, and we have the inside scoop on which artists will be bringing new artwork to the walls of downtown Sacramento. Without further ado, here it is: where the new murals will be and what to expect!
(A map of artist locations is at the bottom!)
Artist: Apexer
Location: 711 J Street
Apexer, also known as Richard Richey, will be bringing his vibrant style downtown. He hails from San Francisco and is known for his brightly-colored abstract spray paintings, while his style consists of mind-tickling patterns that create optical illusions. Apexer’s work has been showcased internationally and locally, and now he has come to Sacramento to share his talents with the 916.
Artist: Charmaine Olivia
Location: 405 K st. DOCO – West
Charmaine Olivia is a renowned artist from Southern California whose illustrations, paintings and photographs have appeared for big name designers and icons (Burton, Urban Outfitters, Hallmark and Lady Gaga to name a few). She taught herself oil painting at seven years old and has since been featured in museums and galleries all over the world. Her mystic and spiritual style leads the viewers on a journey of mind and thought. Charmaine’s radiant style of painting will bring a lively, feminine glow to DOCO.
Artist: MurOne
Location: 1253 5th Street – West
Iker Muro, better known as MurOne, is an illustrator and graphic designer from Spain. His paintings are colorful, loud and abstract, yet composed of recognizable shapes and objects. He finds inspiration from international travel and incorporates the local culture into his designs. Muro describes his art as “an acid mixture of pop culture, graffiti, illustration and graphic design.” His funky style will be amping up the west side of Capitol Mall Garage. This mural will encompass all the #DowntownSacStory submissions from earlier this year!
Artist: Kristin Farr
Location: 6th & J – DOCO Plaza
Former broadcasting producer; Deputy Editor for arts & culture magazine, Juxtapoz; curator of Facebook’s Artist-In-Residency Program; contributor to the New York Times… oh yeah, and she’s an artist, too! Kristin Farr is redefining folk art with her contemporary viewpoint and neon colors. The San Francisco-based artist explores the folk magic of art having talismanic properties adapted onto a modern-day canvas. Kristin’s spellbinding patterns will be featured in DOCO.
Artist: John Pugh
Location: 6th & J Street Alley
John Pugh is an artist that thrives on trompe l’oeil (tricking the eye to perceive something as 3D). His art draws the viewer in by noticing something that doesn’t belong, although it looks as though the painting is not just a painting, but what is physically present. John comes up with concepts for his realistic artwork by learning about the community and aims to use his art to teach the people about the world around us.
Artist: Pixel Pancho
Location: 710 J Street
Pixel Pancho, an Italian street artist who specializes in large wall murals, creates robotic creatures inspired by their environmental surroundings. His works include elements of plant, animal and human life, all while expressing an emotional concept. His style can be described as Day of the Dead meets Nightmare Before Christmas at first glance, yet the elegance of his work gives off a more light-hearted feel.
Artist: Shepard Fairey
Location: 1121 15th Street Residence Inn – L Street East Wall
Coming up from Los Angeles, California, Shepard Fairey is here to prove he is not finished making his mark on the world, bringing a mural honoring Johnny Cash to Sacramento. If the founder of Obey clothing line doesn’t ring a bell, how about the infamous “Hope” campaign for 2008 presidential candidate Barack Obama… yup, that’s Fairey’s work! His iconic bold images, intricate designs and heavy use of red and black make his work easily distinguishable. The social activist’s designs signify a communal message to the public about the world around them
Artist: Michelle Ann Murtaugh
Location: 921 11th Street
Sacramento resident Michelle Ann Murtaugh has been featured in galleries across the world for her delicately feminine paintings encompassing the female shape draped in silk. Her paintings elicit the sensuality and power of women while captivating the viewer with realism and beauty.
Artist: Hugo Kriegel
Location: 8th Street Improv Alley
Hugo Kriegel is a French graffiti artists who resides in New York while working on his 1440 Clock street art project. Kriegel continually adds to his ongoing project by painting large scale numbers representing the time he started the individual piece of art. Each piece is recorded as a time lapse which adds to a reel, eventually his collection will make a functional 24-hour clock. He uses acrylic and spray paint to invite the viewer to change their perception of time. Check out Improv Alley to see how Kriegel used his time in Sacramento.
Artist: Stan Padilla
Location: 917 7th Street – Improv Alley
As a cultural activist of Yaqui Indian and Chicano heritage, Stan Padilla uses his art to tell a story of cultural identity and territorial integrity. Many may already be familiar with his work, as he recently unveiled his 27-foot-tall mural inside Golden 1 Center. Stan’s newest addition to downtown is sure to bring culture, history and knowledge to our community.
Artist: Bordalo II
Location: 917 7th Street – Improv Alley at 8th
“One man’s trash is another person’s treasure” is our next artist’s motto. Bordalo II is a Portuguese artist responding to our generation’s consumerism by highlighting the plentiful amount of waste we are creating. He specializes in animalistic sculptures, where he scrounges for material that would otherwise likely remain unused and wasted. Prevent waste, create art.
Artist: Peter Williams
Location: 400 K Street – DOCO West
As an assistant professor of New Media Art at California State University, Sacramento, Peter Williams is familiar to the area and local culture. Peter specializes in interactive and participatory art installations. He believes art is elastic and resembles us, and he uses his art to complicate and hybridize a place within its physical and digital situations.
Artist: Monty Guy
Location: 629 J Street – The Bank Building
A splash of realism painting will cover the west facing wall of the highly anticipated new downtown food hall, The Bank. Monty Guy is an artist from San Francisco whose subjects typically feature portraits in black and white acrylic paint. His art is highly detailed in showing emotion and depicts evolution of culture or a particular event in history. His artistic twist has a dark demeanor while still conveying the innocence of his subjects.
Artist: Brett Crawford
Location: 629 J Street Bank – Improv Alley
Brett Crawford of Los Angeles is an artist who appeals to the fairytale creative viewer while always keeping them captivated and looking for the deeper meaning. He integrates pop culture references and iconic symbols to create a hidden story within his designs. His typical work embodies an animal enacting a human action or stunt while alluding to a bigger idea.
Artist: Kinetik Ideas
Location: 1121 15th St. – Residence Inn Entrance
The Marriott Hotel is soon to be covered by Kinetik Ideas’ spray-paint expression. Anthony Padilla uses his vivid and colorful aerosol paints to get the community to think differently about their environment, hoping to empower the human race. Some of his works include “Solar Poppy” at the Reno Sculpture Festival, which is a USB charging station. His concept for the mural has yet to be confirmed, but his recent Instagram post referencing it uses the hashtag “howling wolf” …Let’s see what the next full moon brings out of Kinetik Ideas.
Artist: Scott Froschauer
Location: 7th Street Improv Alley
Los Angeles artist Scott Froschauer uses his art to explore new spaces and techniques for communication. For instance, while the community is normalized to street signs that restrict you (no parking, stop, yield, road closed, etc.) Froschauer creates reassuring street signs, such as a stop sign that reads “START”. His style is unlike many of the artists that have come to Wide Open Walls, and who knows, you may find some unexpected inspiration around the corner. A love note to Sacramento from Froschauer.
Wide Open Walls is taking place August 9-19th right here in Sacramento. You can get a behind the scenes tour of the artist at work with the Wide Open Walls 2018 Bike Tours, and check out the Street Art Parking Lot Party on August 11 at the Elks Tower to celebrate the kick off of the festival. So many walls, so little time!
