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Coming Home
Coming Home is a vibrant and profoundly symbolic mural, as it explores the intricacies of immigration and the emotional voyage it entails for every individual involved. It illustrates two women from distinct cultures and ethnicities who are visually interconnected but divided by a symbolic line. An American woman representing established immigrant groups pauses in her warmly lit living room to observe through a telescope. Embellished with a log cabin quilt design variant, this environment represents stability and household tradition. Dressed in a vibrant yellow dress and bearing a suitcase, a younger woman from the Middle East enters an expansive blue space on the right, symbolizing the challenges and opportunities of new beginnings. Her background showcases a ten-pointed Islamic star, symbolic of Islamic art, representing her cultural origin. The mural is divided into two halves, each expressing a unique cultural and emotional place. The telescope bridges the division, a diagonal line that directs the viewer’s gaze throughout the mural, linking the two women visually and thematically. The positioning of the figures—one stationary and anchored in her surroundings, the other in motion—highlights difference while establishing balance, as they reflect each other’s dimensions and relevance. The geometric patterns behind the women offer structure and repetition, harmonizing with the organic curves of the figures and their attire. The color scheme enriches the narrative. Soft purples and yellows on the left imply warmth, nostalgia, and tradition. Conversely, cool blues adorn the right side, representing the unknown and the enormous possibilities of the immigrant experience. The vivid yellow of the traveling woman’s outfit symbolizes hope and optimism, but the complementary purple in the settled woman’s environment signifies reflection and stability. These complementary colors generate visual harmony, representing the potential for mutual enrichment via cultural interchange. The painting combines various straight and curved lines to direct the viewer's attention and foster dynamic interactions. The geometric designs—linear and angular on the left, complex and star-shaped on the right—represent the differing cultural heritages of the two women. The women's flowing hair and garment lines soften the composition, giving movement and vitality. The diagonal line of the telescope serves as a focal point, physically and thematically linking the two women, while the birds in the upper right corner direct the viewer’s gaze upward, suggesting independence and migration. The telescope indicates a purposeful endeavor to connect and understand beyond cultural boundaries, but the complementing colors of the women's attire imply harmony and the prospect of cultural synergy. The Arabic word "home" is engraved twice, emphasizing the common human desire for belonging. The depictions of Lady Liberty's head anchor the greater backdrop of immigration and the principles of liberty and opportunity, and the flock of birds in flight represents migration and aspiration. -
Flowers for the Friends who Picked Me Up
Composition: Looking at the composition of this mural, there are two larger than life looking figures. To take it all in, you need to look at this mural from a distance. The faces cover over half of the wall, but it’s important to note that their arms and hands also take up space in the middle. Both figures are holding hands showing a sign of unison. Looking at the higher portion of the piece we see a red bird placed between both of the figures. This bird must be important, since both eyes of the figures are fixated on it. The figures themselves compose nicely, there is a lot of curvature between the two bodies that makes the art flow in a good pattern. Color: The colors shown in this mural are very simple. All of the primary colors are being used in this mural. Both red and blue are repeated throughout the mural, and all three are used to create the color white used in the eyes. I was very struck at the bright blue faces of the figures at first glance. The figures are the only blue in this mural, there are also many white dots shown throughout the bodies, arm, face, and chest. All of the flowers, background, and flowers are painted red, and have glares of white in them to help provide texture. Line: Within this mural, there are many forms of lines. Looking at the figures, those lines have a lot more curvature than do the lines on the bird above them, where these lines are more sharp and jagged. This can also be seen with the flowers. The flowers have a mixture of curves coupled with pointy and jagged lines. Texture: There is a lot of smooth surfaces shown on the mural. This is greatly contrasted with the specks and dots shown in the mural as well. The wavy and pointy like end on the flowers also help provide texture throughout the mural. Space: First thing to look at, is how this is a 2-D surface, however the artist is creating an 3-D illusion. One thing to look at is the holding of hands in the middle, creating an overlap. There is also some shading on all of the figures. Looking at the faces and the bird in the middle, these figures are very bright to bring it closer to the surface. Looking at the bodies of the figures, they are darker, this helps show that they are farther from the surface. -
Frontier Justice
Garcia’s mural “Frontier Justice” can be found in the St. Paul Creative Enterprise Zone at 875 North Prior Ave, St. Paul, selected by the Chroma Zone Mural Festival and partnering with E-Z Recycling to bring this mural to fruition. The mural only consists of four colors, yellow, red, white, and blue. The piece depicts a Deer and a Loon, the Minnesota state bird, in nature picking up plastic cans and bottles stored in bins. The two bins are the two windows protruding from the building on which the mural lives on. The Loon is in a canoe floating down river, notably with a Minnesota Twins baseball cap on, while the Deer is off to the side with an axe in hand. Near the bottom of the mural, you can see the original piping of the building that was integrated into the art piece. The pipes are painted blue to blend-in with the painting, representing an oil rig which was cut by Deer’s axe. The Deer is in a dominant stance, resembling the art piece of George Washington crossing the Delaware River, on the oil rig looking off into the distance. A key component of the Deer is the content of its shirt which displays “Line 3” with an arrow through it, representing a recently installed oil pipeline that passes through north Minnesota, a controversial subject of debate during the time of the mural’s creation. Lastly, the top of the mural you can spot a mountainous landscape and an urban skyline releasing fumes into the air behind a tree line. -
La Cigarra
“La Cigarra” by Aaron Johnson-Ortiz is a beautiful mural placed in St. Paul’s Chroma Zone. It is comprised mainly of a set of hands holding a Cicada, as blue and yellow streamers flow away containing phrases in Spanish. On either side of the mural, which covers two adjacent sides of a gas-station building, lies a sun and a moon shown a bright yellow/orange color and cool blue, respectively.
The piece does not show much symmetry or patterns structurally but is very eye-catching in the sense of color use, shape and texture. The colors are bright and draw attention to key components of the piece. The text on the ribbons is a bit difficult to fully translate to English but can be roughly translated. The ribbons appear to read "Do not sing me songs of love, for I do not want to know what they are” and "Like a rumor that sneaks in, you go asking, 'Will I live?'"
Symmetry
The colors in this mural seem pastel-like, although many of the colors are lighter & bright. The brown hands, resembling a tree, holding the cicada, and green leaves behind are the main focus points of the mural, with the contrast between the hands and cicada drawing the viewer’s attention to the focal point of the piece. The mood and tone of this mural seem like they want to be more stable throughout most of the mural but with hints of inspiration and life stemming from the hands and cicada. The flowers also are different colors on each side, with the roses by the moon and a bright-pink flower by the sun. Many earth tones were used in this mural to show the nature aspect of the mural and components themselves. Line is the biggest component of this mural, where most of the composition of each shape is made of lines.
Color
The size of the lines mimic the size of the shape they compose, with very broad strokes being in the hands. These curves create a sense of organic movement, making the composition feel alive and interconnected.
Size
The lines give a sense of nature within the mural, the combination of the broad strokes and brown tint on the hands look similar to how the trunk of a tree is composed. Thick outlines around major components, such as the hands and moth, help define these focal points against the intricate background, adding depth and clarity. The texture in this mural is prominently seen through the brush strokes throughout each piece of the mural. Very broad strokes are noticed in the hands, where there are layered, shorter strokes in the sun, almost looking like Van Gogh’s “Starry Night”. The use of these lines and strokes are more seen in the “living” objects, whereas the ribbons look smoother.
Line
The artist uses the wall’s surface to create layers, with distinct foreground, middle ground, and background elements. The hands, moth, and ribbon are in the foreground, while the flowers and leaves serve as the middle ground. This layering allows for the mural to have a sense of depth and seem a lot larger than it actually is. The depth created by these layers enhances the three-dimensional environment, giving the viewer a sense of actual nature.
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Wonderland
The mural features a minimalistic and narrative-driven design. It depicts women in dynamic and contemplative poses, accompanied by symbolic elements such as a black cat and a white rabbit. These figures are set against a soft, pastel-toned background with colors of peach, yellow, green, and blue that blend smoothly in a gradient-like transition. This color palette evokes a sense of calm and lightness, while the use of black and white for the figures creates a striking contrast, ensuring they remain the focal point. The natural growth of plants around the building further enhances this integration, blending urban and natural elements. Overall, the piece conveys themes of everyday life, introspection, and connection to nature, inviting viewers to interpret its narrative through its symbolic simplicity and harmonious composition. -
Building Blocks
The mural features a combination of sharp lines, as well as curvy drip-like circles that intersect and overlap. The mural is made of mostly geometric shapes, including rectangles, triangles, circles, and cubes all varying in size, creating depth and layering. The colors used are vibrant and high contrast, including neon yellow, pink, cyan, purple, and green all set on a black background to really make the colors pop. The mural covers the entirety of the wall and uses overlapping to create a 3D effect. -
The Exploration
Formal Analysis:
Composition:The elements in this mural – the girl, the vines, and the moon – are crafted disproportionately. They complement one another but their vibrant colors and odd shapes against the background emphasize a fictional or imagined location, perhaps in the girl’s mind. Despite being the focal point of the mural, the girl is in the corner of it but takes up almost a quarter of the total space to draw attention to her character. She appears to be a daydreamer-- lying on the ground and looking up with her headphones on and her arms behind her head, lost in the fictional night sky. Overall, the arrangement of the elements and their tones create a balance to the scene suggesting that this is a calm place.
Color:The artist uses vibrant colors against a grey background – perceived as the night sky. There is a contrast of two main palettes; one composed of shades of red, yellow, and green, and the other a variation of blues, purple, and pink. There are hues of red, orange, and peach surrounding the arch of what seems to be a doorway, and these colors as well as green are littered in some of the leaves and vines. These colors seem to represent warmth and daylight somewhere in the distance. The other palette is of the blues and purples in the vines and leaves in the night sky and the pink in the character’s clothes. The color arrangement with the night sky palette coloring the larger elements indicates that the character is laying in the night and dreaming or reminiscing about the day.
Line:No element in the mural aside from the character contains straight lines. There are no straight lines in nature so the use of curved lines and round shapes in the background indicates a natural, outdoor setting. Additionally, straight lines may convey stability and order, while curved lines indicate a sense of movement and fluidity which can further support the setting being a fictional location. The character is the only element in the mural defined in a thick black line which distinguishes her from the background as perhaps the only “real” thing in the scene.
Texture:The mural is painted on a smooth brick wall. The background grey is matte, but all the other vibrant colors are shiny and reflect the light beautifully. The texture compliments the mural well and adds a rustic touch and the shiny paint draws the viewer's eye to the elements while muting the background, which seems to be an intentional touch.
Space:The artist mostly uses the size of the elements to create depth in the mural. By layering elements and varying their scale, the artist creates a sense of depth that invites exploration. The largest element in the mural is the girl in the foreground. The middle ground is a flurry of leaves and vines of various sizes and the doorway. The smallest element is the moon which is the only element in the grey background.
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Ask Why
The main focal point of this mural is the phrase “ASK WHY.” Scale wise, it takes up a majority of the wall and is positioned directly in the center. Integrated throughout the mural and surrounding the text are elements of nature, Hmong culture, gender identity and various other icons. For example, there are larger more visible images of flowers, leaves, and plants as well as smaller details such as rain drops, flames, gender pictograms and Xs that border the phrase. Overall, the mural is not perfectly symmetrical, but it feels balanced both space and design wise. The only uses of color in the mural are in the words “ASK WHY” and the solid yellow shadowing that starts at the top of the letters and ends on the ground. The words themselves are white with a hint of blue (slim line of each letter) and then outlined in pink which are colors often associated with the transgender flag while the rest of the mural is black and white. The use of color forces the eye to gravitate towards the overall purpose of asking why. The rest of the mural being black and white in a way serves as an afterthought, nonetheless equally as important. The smaller and less apparent details cause the observer to further analyze and find hidden meanings and themes. The letters are designed using straight lines, making the message very straight forward and easily legible. The curvature in the images breaks up the straight lines to provide a nice visual and contrast to the linear lines. The foreground is yellow for a majority of the mural with the sides depicting nature (flowers and plants). The middle ground includes the large phrase “ASK WHY” to grab the viewers' attention. Two eyeballs are also included within the middle ground and the background is full of smaller images/icons such as flowers, raindrops/flames, and gender pictograms. The background creates the illusion of outer space with little symbols floating around. -
Empowering Generations
The mural done by Claudia Valentino and Daniela Bianchini, titled Empowering Generations, is a sight to see. It is located on the West wall of the Precision Coatings building. This mural contains six small human figures, and one larger sized woman figure. The whole mural is of a large scale, so the viewer may need to step far back to take in the whole work. Along with the human figures there are also a few large flowers. The large woman figure is painted in various colors and holds her fist up high. The other smaller human figures are painted in a dark solid color, this illuminates their shape. These smaller human figures really stand out from the colorful background. Although, these smaller humans stand out, the focal point is the larger woman holding her fist up. Around her fist is a mosaic of glass/mirror and tiles, this draws the attention to the importance of her stance. A mosaic is a pattern made by setting small pieces of material onto a surface to create a design. In this case it is small pieces of mirror and colored tiles. All figures pop against the different shades of green and tan in the background. Along with the mosaic detail, this mural was created by using poly tab. Poly tab is a non-woven fabric that is lighter than canvas. This allows the artist to paint in their studio and then later apply the poly tab to the mural. The texture of the building is brick. When viewing this mural, three spaces are seen. The background is the geometrical green shapes and green and blue solid colors. The middle ground consists of the human figures that are one solid dark color. Finally, the foreground and focal point is the woman holding her fist high. -
"Clubhouse City"
Composition: This mural features cartoonish animals in a colorful setting. There is a cat in a barn, a bird in a milk carton, another bird in a tree, a flowerpot, and another bird on top of the barn. Dominguez arranges the elements of Clubhouse City with a dynamic sense of balance and flow, drawing the eye smoothly across the mural. The composition is asymmetrical, giving it a sense of natural movement and energy.
Color: This mural uses many bright colors, including orange, yellow, light blue, and pink, contributing to its happy, cheerful tone. The color palette is vibrant, dominated by warm, earthy tones mixed with occasional pops of cool blues and greens. This choice creates a sense of warmth and community, reinforcing the mural’s inviting and lively atmosphere. The combination of colors brings an energetic and upbeat mood, reflecting the communal spirit of a “clubhouse” environment.
Line: This art uses straight and rounded lines as outlines for the objects in the building other than the tree, which helps the shapes pop and creates a 3D effect. Dominguez uses thick, bold, thinner, more delicate lines throughout the mural. Curved lines give the piece fluidity, while the occasional use of straight lines helps to define the structural aspects.
Texture: This wall is half concrete and half brick, splitting the mural into two and contributing to its effect. Also, different areas feel rougher or smoother to the eye. This layering adds a sense of physical depth to the mural, inviting viewers to move closer to examine the details.
Space: This piece uses a 3D effect; the bottom middle of the mural is the front, and as you look up, the artist uses lines to make the trees appear farther away. Dominguez’s use of space is particularly effective in creating depth. He utilizes a foreground, middle ground, and background, arranging elements to make the mural feel like a miniature city extending back into space. This depth effect is achieved by layering and varying the scale of elements, with smaller, lighter-colored forms receding into the background while bolder, darker elements remain closer.