The first in a new mural series sponsored by beautifulPB and the San Diego Audubon Society will be installed in early August on the east wall of PB Tattoo at 1160 Garnet Ave.
Artist/muralist Todd Murphy has created a design that features the California least tern, an endangered bird that can be found in Pacific Beach. The mural is intended to highlight the beach community’s connection to the Mission Bay wetlands ecosystem and encourage everyone to learn more about these important birds.
“The PB Bay Murals project is funded through a grant from the Audubon Society,” said Katie Matchett, beautifulPB president. “We plan to install at least one other mural with the current grant funding, and hope to continue with even more art if we can find additional funding sources.”
Added Matchett: “We’re so excited to be able to bring a new mural to Pacific Beach, particularly one focused on an endangered species that lives right here in our community. We hope this mural will encourage folks to learn more about the amazing natural habitats that surround our neighborhood.”
Chris Olson, also of beautifulPB, concurred with Matchett’s take on the new mural. “We are celebrating one more art mural for the PB community and our visitors,” he said. “It will be added to beautifulPB’s online art map (beautifulpb.com/art-in-place-2021/) project for people to be inspired by beautiful art as they tour around our beach town.”
Murphy is a multidisciplinary artist based in San Diego. His work is incredibly colorful and animated and he works using a combination of both physical and digital creative tools. Strongly influenced by exotic animals and iconic American pop culture, his art reflects the colorful and nostalgic nature of timeless fashion, music, movies, and television.
Murphy started working Monday, July 31, on his latest creation, noting he planned to have it finished by Thursday, Aug. 3. The 44-year-old artist, who started painting at age 8, said he was proud, pleased, and fortunate to have been chosen to do the endangered bird mural.
“I beat out about 15 applicants,” Murphy said. “I was one of three finalists, then chosen the winner after being interviewed by Audubon and beautifulPB.”
Noting all the applicants who wanted to do the new mural were skilled and creative, Murphy believed his having lived previously near the mural site, and his past work may have given him an edge in being selected. “I’ve done work similar to what they were looking for, plants and animals and exotic birds,” he said. “I also lived across the street from where this is going in and have a feeling for what the community would like to see.”
After hearing about a call for artists on the mural project, Murphy realized it was “a really awesome opportunity to have a public mural that gets so much attention.” He went through back-and-forth design meetings with both Audubon and beautifulPB on the mural’s style. “The instructions were to do something friendly, colorful, and coastal,” Murphy said adding being a public muralist is the attainment of a career dream.
“I remember driving down the street and I saw a mural on a building and thought, ‘I would like to be able to point to a friend and tell them, you’re going to see something I did.’ I’ve always wanted to do an enduring piece on a building that would be around for a long time, that maybe would become a landmark in the community that people would celebrate. It’s a very exciting way to put your stamp on things.”
MURAL OPENING
The public is invited to celebrate the newly completed mural at 1160 Garnet Ave. with the San Diego Audubon Society, beautifulPB, and PB Tattoo at its official opening at noon on Saturday, Aug. 12.
