Making Green Spaces Greener

During the week of the ‘23 Autumnal Equinox, I installed my largest mural yet! The 36 foot by 20 foot scene is in a courtyard surrounded by plants and trees. Via contract through Urban Artworks, who also provided me with 8 amazing volunteers (aka Dream Team), to rock it out in five days. I designed this work for Bellwether Housing to be enjoyed by residents for years to come. Many of them, and their super-friendly dogs, visited us during our progress over the course of the week.

Earlier this summer, I visited the courtyard to meet the client and see the wall in person. I’ll admit it was begging for art. It was kind of a vibe-killer.

The courtyard has lush bushes, seasonal flowers and trees that have hand-made birdhouses hanging from the branches. Many residents spend hours in this green space so I decided to simply expand it. I took photos of the plants and trees already there and designed a landscape that would transport the imagination. I drew a path leading into the background with an evergreen forest on the horizon. I also added a waterfall for tranquility. Who doesn’t love waterfalls?

The shape of the courtyard is rectangular so anyone who exits the main building can see the waterfall from the far end of the opposite side as soon as they enter the courtyard. I also wanted the design to compliment the tall trees on the left, which hang over the art so their leaves blend with my painted trunks. I used a sponge to add texture throughout; adding moss on the rocks, leaves on the path and of course mist on the water hitting the rocks at the base of the waterfall.

Dream team member in this photo: Katy Basnaw. Progress photos above: 1. outline using paint pens 2. blocking the solid colors in the middle and background 3. adding the ferns in the foreground 4. final work

Enjoy more content, including videos, on Insta. I’m so grateful for the amazing volunteers, Bellwether staff and Urban Artworks for support! I was there from 9am til 6pm most days and while my body was tired, my heart was soaring.

I Love a Good Makeover: Tukwila Utility Box Program '23

Last April I applied to a call-to-art from the City of Tukwila, Utility Box Art Program 2023. The program selects a handful of artists each year to create public art at specific locations and in June I received my acceptance letter. I’d be creating art for a vinyl wrap-around on utility box #208, which is located on Southcenter Parkway at the Old Navy shopping center entrance.

I was in the midst of creating my La Tierra collection when I got the news and had just finished “El Sol” and “Journey”. I wanted to create something bright for the box, taking into consideration the many months of moody overcast skies here in the pacific northwest. So I digitally enhanced and combined “El Sol” and “Journey” adding golds, greens, teals, purples and shades of turquoise to compliment a radiating yellow sun and glowing moon.

Each artist was provided with photos of our individual grey boxes and specific dimensions to help us plan accordingly. Below is box #208 before the vinyl wrap-around. This blank canvas really needed some color!

EL SOL © Nalisha Estrellas

JOURNEY © Nalisha Estrellas

The week it was installed I made a trip down south to see box #208 and - whoa, talk about a makeover - it looks gorgeous! It turned out better than I expected! The colors pop so vibrantly! It happened to be cloudy on the day I took these photos and it’s easy to see the full effect of my bright palette against that moody sky. I couldn’t be happier. I walked several laps around it smiling.

© Nalisha Estrellas 2023

I titled my work “La naturaleza es una companera” which means ‘Nature is a companion’.

Front of Tukwila utility box 208

Back of Tukwila utility box 208

2023 Bellevue Arts Museum Arts Fair: Chalk Mural

After being invited to be the 2023 Featured Chalk Mural Artist at Bellevue Arts Museum (BAM) Arts Festival, I visited BAM’s exhibit “Strange Weather”, which explores the relationships and boundaries between bodies and the environment.” The works of art hit those notes hard and each artist conveyed a message with their own unique lens. I remember the rich colors - saturated reds, rust-oranges, turquoise, yellows and greens. When I learned how BAM wanted my chalk mural to be inspired by the exhibit I knew I would be including a vibrant color palette.

I was asked to title my mural, which is the hardest thing for me to do for any piece I create. But after spending time with Strange Weather I had a solid idea. My mural’s title would be, Arrested Antidote. I chose it in an attempt to evoke reflection about our action/inaction with regards to body-and-land violence and the missed opportunities and contributions that are lost as a result. I wanted to depict people in the midst of migration and to some degree expedient exodus. The land masses would be unnatural and the sun would be a dark, ominous color to spotlight the changes currently underway in our environment(s). There would be waves of water and bubbles floating throughout each shape - each representing a breath.

I spent several hours prepping my chalk colors and labeling them according to each shape. I went back to my notes from the Strange Weather visit to ensure I was doing justice to my tribute. I kicked-off the first day by chalk-drawing a large circle (6 feet in diameter) and outlined everything. I spent a total of 18 hours on my design, but it didn’t feel like that at all. I think it’s because I had so much fun chatting with all the families, kids, staff and volunteers the entire weekend. I heard so many different languages being spoken, met people from all over the world and at when I painted the last stroke of chalk paste I felt exhilarated. I’d been able to share my progress [and shared my inspiration] with so many others who have stories of their own to tell. I was beyond grateful that I got a chance to listen.

Amazon's Doppler Campus steps mural

Before completing the Nitro campus mural, Amazon invited me to create a complimentary Global Moth of Volunteering mural on the steps outside the Doppler campus a block away.

The steps mural design incorporated the same color palette and the earth image as Nitro, but differed in that it included three pairs of hands at the bottom holding seeds. Those seeds sprout, wrap around and radiate out and up from the earth.

The Doppler mural’s last day is September 18, 2022

Amazon's Nitro Campus mural

I was just about to catch a flight to Alaska (for my first time) when I got an invitation to create a large chalk mural on the sidewalk outside Amazon’s Nitro location. The mural design was going to celebrate Amazon’s Global Month of Volunteering.

Photo credit: Rachael Sage

As I completed the sidewalk mural, I chatted with people nearby and found out there’s a Mary’s Place on the same block. Two young residents, who are brothers, watched me carve my colorful brush around the cement so intently that I invited them to paint. They looked to be 8 and 11 and as we painted the green continents together I found out they both like to draw. I told them to keep creating and thanked them for helping me.

The Nitro sidewalk mural’s last day is September 5, 2022.

South Lake Union Chalk Mural at Amazon Headquarters

The brief was “Urban Oasis” so immediately I thought, PLANTS and COLOR and SUNSHINE. The gig was perfect and the location was ideal. It was to be the steps outside the Amazon Day 1 Spheres, which is quite a bustling area. The night we traced the outline there was a new swing installation by Creos for the public to enjoy. My design included blue waves in the foreground, two shades of green in the middle ground and a blend of red, orange and yellow in the background. They were contrasted with a series of plants in white lines as well as a few birds, clouds and a radiating sun. Below is my mock-up.

So, I hadn’t worked with chalk paste before (chalk paste is crushed chalk mixed with water) but let me tell you something…. if I had known about chalk paste as a kid my life as a professional artist would have started at age 9. I would have painted my entire neighborhood! I would have found my love for murals long before I found my love for anything else. But, i’s ok, I digress.

I was provided chalk supplies by Urban Artworks, the amazing org that hooked me up with this gig, and while I mixed a lot of the chalk at their studio I did more fine tuning of colors at home outside on the patio.

Once the sun set on the first day, we knocked out the outline of the color blocks and the white detailed lines. One of our amazing volunteers, Natalia, almost completed filling in the orange that night! She saved us so much time. On the second day, Taeheon, Duffy and Bella painted the red and greens while Lis knocked out the yellow. I focused on the blue because as a Sagittarius (fire sign) I need to be close to water... any other Sags with me on that?

By the time 6pm rolled around, we were putting the final touches on the white lines and cleaning up the residual chalk dust so pedestrians wouldn’t track it into the buildings. I was elated every time I stepped back to inspect the design and see it come to life. It was an incredible day with lots of chats with friendly people and kids.