Hello, Friends!
Since the beginning of the year, I have been working on a major project in conjunction with the City of Torrance and sponsor Journey of Faith church to develop a mural for The Plunge city pool. I am thrilled to announce that it is finally completed! This has been a tremendous growing experience learning the ins and outs of mural-painting, dealing with weather (yes, even in LA we have it once in a while!), and other unforeseen circumstances that kept things interesting. Huge thanks to everyone who has cheered me on during this process! Check out the video and pictures below or, if you're cruising through Torrance, pop by The Plunge and see it for yourself.
The Concept
The City of Torrance wanted a mural that would represent several of the activities that take place at The Plunge pool, particularly swim lessons, water polo, and synchronized swimming. I came up with a "snapshot" concept that would allow several activities to be exhibited without creating too busy of a visual. These snapshots rest against a backdrop of the pool itself which is set up with lanes for lap swim. An empty lifeguard chair overlooks the pool and the activity snapshots. I left the chair empty to represent all of the people who have sat in it over the years and who will sit in it in years to come. There is a little extra space where swimmers at the pool can jump into the picture, themselves, and become a part of the pool artwork!
Production
The existing mural had finally given way to age and erosion, and it was time for a new design. In the spring, I met with city officials from Torrance for concept design, did the creative work, and got the design approved by the city. The mural itself was slated to be done in April, but (for once!) we actually had a rainy springtime here in Los Angeles, and between rain storms, some necessary wall repairs, and my own busy summer schedule, the painting of the mural was rescheduled for September. Seven fantastic volunteers from Journey of Faith helped, from projecting and tracing the design on the wall to painting in water and swimmers!
THANK YOU: Sponsorship & Volunteers
Journey of Faith church, the sponsor of the mural, was fantastic to work with and provided all of the necessary supplies and some very talented volunteers to help with the mural. I could NOT have done this project without all of you who helped me, so major shoutout of gratitude to each of you! Special thanks to Alicia Allen for heading this up and taking such good care of the volunteers.
Thank you to everyone from City of Torrance who made this happen: Kimberly Hubbard, Richard Brunette, John Jones, Darin McClelland, and the numerous staff members and lifeguards at The Plunge pool who were so kind and helpful!
Thanks for reading!
I hope that this is the first of many murals. To inquire after mural work or a painting of your own, please reach out to info@emilybrantleyart.com.
Artfully Yours,
Emily