fortbraggwalk

When we first looked at this corrugated steel wall, we thought there was no way anyone could install any design that wasn’t geometric due to those vertical lines. But Nicola Beatts was undaunted. She is locally famous for her marine mammal artwork at locations such as the Noyo Center for Marine Sciences and the alleyway behind Roundman’s Smokehouse and she had a vision for this wall. Her proposal was a warm underwater sunset, with blue harbor seals pausing in their ocean frolics as if they are observing the viewer curiously, as bull kelp sways in the currents before a white mandala of solar radiation.

When she is not blowing us away with her mural talents Nicola is often found at Triangle Tattoo. Check our her instagram here…

Marta moved to the United States from Spain when she was 21 and eventually found her way to Mendocino  in 2001. Like many artists, she feels like her artistic journey is intrinsically tied to her journey in life. It’s a journey to find the courage to overcome all manner of insecurities and obstacles to be an artist. She found an inspiring mentor In 2014 when she took an oil painting class with Cynda Valley, a Willits artist at the time.  She describes the experience as “uniquely heart and soul opening.” Cynda taught her the technicalities of oil painting but also encouraged her to look at her art as part of her self, and extension of her being, and to confidently experiment and explore.  Marta clearly has a gift for drawing inspiration from the world, colors, shapes and patterns around herself. She is drawn to portraits, with  a strong connection through the eyes, rural settings, farm animals, old barns, bees, hearts and peeling walls and rusty elements, dreams and made up realities. Her current area of unexplored curiosity is assemblage of oil portraits and sparkling encaustic relief. 

​One in ten pollinating insects is on the verge of extinction, and a third of our bee and butterfly species are declining. We want to raise awareness through the power of art and honor thees pollinators. 

Did you know that Fort Bragg was the very first official Bee City USA in California? We couldn’t  bee prouder. 

If you’d like to know more about supporting pollinators and invertebrate conservation, I recommend you start by checking out Xerces Society. 

Derek had his eye on this wall for ages before he got the chance to cover it in minutely detailed sea life. 

As I considered how I was going to transform this wall I knew that I wanted to capture more than just the look of trees. I wanted to capture the experience, the awe that comes from gazing upwards in a thriving forest and seeing sunlight streaming through the branches. I wanted to capture the acid green backlit leaves, the welcoming quiet, the feeling of lushness and abundance. Nature is inspiring, both in a pristine state, but also in a state of recovery. I see great beauty and hopefulness in the process of re-growth, decade upon decade, century upon century. It was great to work with RFFI and learn more specifics about mixed-age forests and their work on behalf of our local forests and community. All of the trees, plants and details of this mural can be found in RFFI’s forests.” – Ryan Grossman

Sally had been dreaming of painting this triptych for years before everything fell into place with the Alleyway Art Project. She loved the rich and somewhat jumbled history of this neighborhood in Fort Bragg, with its many businesses, cultures, and local characters in constant flux over the years. The Little Cup and Larry Spring buildings are some of the oldest buildings in town – along with the Golden West Saloon.

Always a sucker for nostalgia, Sally delighted in depicting a chaotic and festive mashup of history from many time periods, lost treasures, found items, and as many references as she could fit.

Drifting across all three murals are Sally’s signature angels, often depicted holding orbs representing the spheres of the world, the heavens, all knowledge, and mystical interconnectedness.

What is this strange creature you see before you? In Jason’s words “It is something submerged, to reference the rich marine life of our coastal waters, but also fantastical.” The intense colors and details offer a dynamic and complicated response to the question the Grey Fox seems to pose. The shades and forms flow from the soft green bubbles at the edge of the two murals’ boundary, then sharpen and resolve as the viewer is drawn into the depths of Sub Rosa’s stylized realm. Design elements for the creature’s face and head reference stone carvings and mural fragment’s found in the ancient Mezoamerican city of Teotihuacan, famed for their bold contrasts and powerful structural elements. Upon this foundation, Jason layers rainbow fins, textured body segments, and marionette-like limbs, to create a whimsical mash-up with a personality all its own. Jason Godeke  is the art teacher at Fort Bragg Middle school. He is available for more mural projects. His dream is to design and install a large local mural with his students. Donate to the middle school art program. 

Sub Rosa literally means “under the rose” in New Latin. Since ancient times, the rose has often been associated with secrecy. In ancient mythology, Cupid gave a rose to Harpocrates, the god of silence, to keep him from telling about the indiscretions of Venus. Ceilings of dining rooms have been decorated with carvings of roses, reportedly to remind guests that what was said at the table should be kept confidential. Roses have also been placed over confessionals as a symbol of the confidentiality of confession. Sub rosa entered the English language in the 17th century, and even before then, people were using the English version, “under the rose.” Earlier still, unter der Rose was apparently used in Germany, where the phrase is thought to have originated.

Matsya and the Great Deluge is an ancient tale from India retold in many texts starting around 700 BCE.  Matsya is a small fish that appears to a great king named Manu, either in his wash bowl, or while he is performing religious rites by a river. Matsya begs Manu for protection from larger fish, and promises to save him from a great flood in the future. The king protects the small fish, transferring him to larger and larger containers of water as he grows. Eventually Matsya is so large that Manu puts him in the ocean. Matsya thanks the king for protecting him when he was small and vulnerable. He tells Manu the date that the devastating floods will arrive, and where the king should meet him with the great ship he must now go and build. On the day of the deluge Matsya finds the king and his ship among the swirling waters and tows him to the Himalayas where the king performs prayers and sacrifices, and re-establishes all life, thereby saving humanity and averting the complete destruction of the world. Pretty great, right? 

Bojh Parker has an instantly recognizable style, so we were familiar with his work from other art shows around town. We were thrilled when he joined the Alleyway Art Project, and very impressed at his ambitious proposal for the very large wall that Alan Limbird volunteered for a possible public art space. Alan immediately pulled Bojh’s design out of the stack of proposals for the space. He later said, ” I immediately knew that was the one!  Bojh’s mural really resonated with me. I didn’t look any further.  I told Lia, this is the one.  Let’s do it.” We have to admit, we were surprised, and impressed. It takes vision and courage to commit to such a bold design at that scale, but Alan has a sharp eye for talent, and he saw the potential in this proposal.Alan and Laura Limbird very generously offered to co-sponsor the mural. With Flockworks as a co-sponsor, a grant from The Mendocino County Tourism Commission, and some delightfully unexpected donations from members of the community and local businesses, we reached our funding goal and began planning the installation process.  The finished work has exceeded everyone’s expectations. The mural has transformed the space, with locals and visitors alike regularly taking photos and chatting about “how they would describe this style of artwork.” To see more of Bojh’s work visit his website ​bojhparkermedia.com

If you want to commission a mural by Bojh you can inquire through his website contact page.

The story of Matsya and the king Manu, reminds us that sometimes if we protect small, delicate things from the “law of the jungle” where the strong gobble up the weak, the small things will have a chance to grow into mighty forces for good, that may someday save us all when we need it most. There are many real life examples of this story happening right now in Fort Bragg, from obvious examples like the local organizations working to restore our local rivers for salmon and trout, to less obvious examples like early childhood education programs, or if we may be so bold, the Alleyway Art Project, which started as a small “what if” and with the help of Flockworks and so many wonderful members of our community is growing into something far larger than we could have ever imagined.