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Melissa Federspill|Leader-News
Muralist Ruben Esquivel compares his mural concept drawing to the then-in-progress mural of Jayce Luevanos, located on the St. Henry De Osso Family Project building. Esquivel started the mural on Friday, Aug. 5, and was finished with his work by Tuesday, Aug. 10.
Jayce Luevanos loved making coffee for his parents and grandparents, and the 10-year-old grins over a steaming mug of his special brew in Austin-based artist Ruben Esquivel’s memorial mural for the Robb Elementary fourth-grader.
His mural is one of the 21 portrait murals in the Healing Uvalde mural project spearheaded by Abel Ortiz, local artist and owner of Art Lab Contemporary Art Space, who knew shortly after the shooting that he wanted to create this project.
The project aims to memorialize and honor the 19 fourth-graders and two teachers killed as a result of the May 24 mass shooting at Robb Elementary.
Ortiz said about 15.5 were expected to be complete by last week, as one artist was going to have to pause at mid-point and return this week.
“It had to be monumental. It couldn’t have been anything less,” Ortiz said of undertaking of creating a mural for each of the 21 victims.
He said when he first told his wife about his idea, she assumed he was talking about one mural honoring all 21 victims.
“No, I’m talking 21 murals across the whole city,” he said he told his wife. “We need these children celebrated and their lives to remembered forever.”
Ortiz garnered the support of art collector George Meza, who manages a Facebook page, Collectors of Chicano/Latinx Art and Allies, which helped fundraise the project by hosting an art auction.
Ortiz, an instructor at Southwest Texas Junior College, also came in contact with Monica Maldonado, of the non-profit MAS Cultura based in Austin, who became the project manager.
Ortiz said she had connections with artists to help bring the project to fruition. Artists from all over Texas are participating in the project.
Visitors to Jayce’s mural will see that he loved ninjas, and his favorite colors were green and blue. He often wrote love letters to his family, as conveyed by an old-school paper airplane, featured on the top left of the mural, inscribed with the words “I love you.”
Ortiz hopes the murals help keep these memories alive, every day, permanently for all the victims, their families, and the town.
Esquivel says Jayce’s family shared these remembrances, and he worked to incorporate them in his concept.
Melissa Federspill
Artist Luis Angulo takes a break from the mural honoring Maranda Mathis to tell a brief story about how the mural concept evolved. Maranda’s mural is located on the Evans Law Firm building, 124 N. West St.
Esquivel, who was assisted by artists Dalia Gutierrez and Ismael Muniz, arrived in Uvalde on Aug. 4, began working the next day, and was about 85 percent complete by the morning of Sunday, Aug. 8, despite working in grueling temperatures and under the blazing sun.
It was completed by Wednesday.
He said Jayce’s family came to watch him work every day, gathering in the parking lot of the St. Henry De Osso Family Project building, often stocking his ice chest, bringing snacks, and offering to help him in any way. Jayce’s siblings also helped paint.
There are nine completed murals on the St. Henry De Osso building, and many others have popped up across town.
“I’ve been talking with them for the past three weeks, about the concept, and making sure they’re happy,” Esquivel said. “Because that’s very important to me.”
Esquivel said creating a portrait mural can be challenging and, though he has learned over the years to paint what he sees, there is still a lot that goes into getting it just right.
He gave an example of having to use about nine different spray paint colors to create Jayce’s skin tone.
As work on Jayce’s mural got underway, the mural for his cousin, Jailah Silguero, was also going up right next to Jayce’s. Further up on the same wall, muralists Alvaro “Deko” Zermeno and Ismael Muñiz were working to create the tribute to Layla Salazar, honoring her love of running and her time in Chicago.
El Paso based-artist Tino Ortega was assigned to work on Jailah, and he incorporated her love of unicorns and TikTok.
Layla’s family and Jailah’s family were both present in the St. Henry De Osso parking lot throughout the weekend.
The portrait murals are located throughout the town, and Ortiz said plans are underway for a mural map, possibly digital-based with QR codes and a website. More details will be available as plans are finalized.
Some portraits are located in alleys, and Ortiz’s long-term vision includes activating those spaces with lighting, benches and landscape elements to draw in passersby. He hopes the murals will provide settings for reflection and paying tribute to the victims.
Earlier in the week, on Roberts Lane, a few streets over from the St. Henry De Osso building, artist Luis Angulo painted the mural for Maranda Mathis. He and his assistant, Courtney Arte, worked both day and night on the project.
Angulo, who is based in Austin but is from Venezuela, said he spoke with Maranda’s mother, Deanna, about Maranda’s love of nature. He used a photo of Maranda standing in a river to create a concept.
While working, he decided to add lily pads to the river water. Angulo said Deanna later told him that water lilies were some of Maranda’s favorite flowers.
In the picture he worked from, Maranda is holding river rocks, but he decided to make
Melissa Federspill|Leader-News
Anat Ronen, a Houston-based artist, works to complete the mural honoring Robb Elementary fourth-grader Tess Marie Mata. Ronen worked with assistant Brittany Johnson to memorialize Tess’ love of softball and her cat, Oliver. The mural is located on the building of Once Upon at Time, 115 W. Main.
a more magical depiction and added amethyst gemstones to the portrait. Deanna later told him that was her birthstone.
“It’s just chills all around,” Angulo said of the coincidences.
Maranda’s mural is alongside the mural for Jackie Cazares, painted by Kimie Flores.
Around the corner from Maranda, artists Anat Ronen and Brittany Johnson began working on the mural for Tess Mata, paying tribute to the 10-year-old who loved softball and her cat, Oliver. Her mural was completed last week.
Completed Murals
Completed murals include those for Jayce Carmelo Luevanos, Jacklyn “Jackie” J. Cazares, Jose Manuel Flores Jr., Irma Linda and Jose “Joe” Antonio Garcia, Uziyah Garcia, Amerie Jo Garza, Maranda Gail Mathis, Tess Marie Mata, Eva Mireles, Alithia Haven Ramirez, Annabell Guadalupe Rodriguez, Maite Yuleana Rodriguez, Layla Marie Salazar, Jailah Nicole Silguero, and Rojelio Fernandez Torres.
More information about these murals will appear in a future edition of the Leader-News.
MFEDERSPILL@ULNNOW.COM, 830-278-3335
Melissa Federspill|Leader-News
El Paso-based artist Tino Ortega works on the portrait mural for fourth-grader Jailah Silguero, whose mural is located next to her cousin, Jayce Luevanos. Muralist Ruben Esquivel (left) was charged with completing the mural for Jayce. Both murals are located at the St. Henry De Osso Family Project building, 114 E. Nopal.
