Irish artist Maser will spend 55 hours painting one side of Santa Fe College’s Fine Arts building this week.
The Dublin, Ireland, based urban artist and five Santa Fe fine arts students started painting the mural Tuesday at 11 a.m. and will finish Saturday. The mural is part of 352walls, a project that uses urban artwork to beautify Gainesville buildings, said Raquel Vallejo, a 352walls project coordinator. Although the exact square footage of the mural is unknown, Vallejo describes it as “very, very big.”
Maser traveled about 4,042 miles by plane and car to paint at Santa Fe. He landed in Florida on Sunday, a day before his paint arrived.
“I like Gainesville a lot,” he said. “It reminds me of where I am from.”
Maser studied in London, England, and first practiced street art by spraying graffiti on the streets of Dublin in 1995. He said when he moved to London, its urban landscape inspired him to paint plants.
“I place plants on my artwork because it helps with human relationships and interaction with art and the world around us,” Maser said. “London is a lot more city life, which is a lot different from Dublin and places like Gainesville.”
This mural will be the first by 352walls outside of downtown Gainesville and on a college campus. This is the largest mural commissioned by 352walls, which has brought in artists from around the world and city for three years.
“There is a synergy and everything is coming together to make Gainesville a hub for urban art and urban studies,” Vallejo said. “This mural is like the artist’s business card.”
The mural will feature many plants such as an agave cactus and vibrant colors like light blue, yellow and green.
It will cover the back of Building E, which faces the gymnasium, a parking lot and a staircase. Maser said the staircase plays a role in his design.
“I will make sure that I paint the staircase so that when students walk up it, they are integrating into the artwork, and it will become a focal point,” he said.
Vallejo said the choice of the artist and location was intentional.
“It’s about finding a space and then matching the artist with the space,” she said. “It is perfect for him. It really is his style, the mix-ups of angles, shapes, sizes and stairs.”
The five students assisting Maser with the mural were picked by the Board of Santa Fe because they are enrolled in the arts program on scholarship. The students have been working with Maser from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m., leaving only to attend class.
“It’s very personal, this mural,” Maser said. “But it’s also very community-based. I’ll be having students paint alongside of me.”
During the project, Vallejo said she has learned a lot about Maser’s style and his personal history with art. She said his style was inspired by a childhood trip to Uganda.
“He’s a gem, fun and brilliant,” she said.
Maser spoke to Santa Fe students Monday night and shared his history with them. On Friday, Maser will demonstrate urban art by painting a smaller mural on the side of Leonardo’s 706, located at 706 W. University Ave., at 3 p.m. with UF students.
Vallejo said students at Santa Fe could gain a lot from Maser’s art.
“We really want the students to be involved and see this mural when they go to class,” she said. “352walls’ mission is to keep art alive, especially at a school where fine arts is huge.”
On Monday, Chelsea Bates, a Santa Fe journalism sophomore, parked her car, as she does before every school day, in her usual parking lot and peered up at the mural taking shape before her. She said she looks forward to passing the completed mural.
“There is so much artwork displayed throughout the whole campus, however, to see a live muralist on campus is very cool,” she said.
Kate Keskinen, an assistant in the art gallery on campus, volunteered to work on the mural and thought painting alongside the world-famous street artist was rewarding. She said she is most looking forward to passing the mural on her way to work, knowing she played a role in its conception.
“We are really excited, especially because it is the first public art on campus, and happy to be volunteering to help him, because it’s a chance you do not get very often,” Keskinen said.
Jovana Christiani, a 19-year-old Santa Fe College illustration sophomore, outlines the new mural on Santa Fe’s walls Tuesday. The mural is set to be finished Saturday.
Kate Keskinen, a 27-year-old Santa Fe College employee, helps Jovana Christiani trace the design for Santa Fe’s new mural Tuesday. They helped a Dublin-based urban artist paint the mural.
