It's time once again to join Sami at Sami's Colourful World and her Monday Murals. Even though it's still Sunday in my world, please be aware
that Sami's mural link goes live at 11:01 a.m. my time today.
Last week Sami told me she found the information about this mural, but she didn't leave a link. I knew if she found it, I should be able to also. After trying several different search terms, I found both the artists and the story behind this mural.
The mural was created by Tulsa artists Daniel Gulick, left, and Anthony Carrera in 2018.
According to a feature in The Wichita Eagle (our daily newspaper):
Wichita’s newest outdoor artwork is part of a nationwide campaign to end gun violence.
The mural, which features a hand forming the peace sign, fluffy clouds, a wheat field and the slogan “End gun violence together,” is one of several the artists plan to paint throughout the Midwest.
Toms announced the campaign on Twitter last month, directing customers to the company’s website, where they can enter information and send postcards to elected representatives, urging them to pass universal background check legislation.
The mural is sponsored by Toms Shoes. It is not Tom's Shoes, but Toms Shoes.
Also according to The Wichita Eagle:
As part of the campaign, Gulick and Carrera are traveling through the region, painting murals to raise awareness. So far they have painted outdoor spaces in Tulsa, Wichita Falls, Texas, and Stillwater, Okla., and next plan to travel to Joplin, Mo. “Every mural is different,” said Gulick, who works as a tattoo artist in Tulsa.
“The campaign is not against people having guns,” he said. “This whole thing is for better universal background checks. . . . They just don’t want the wrong people to have guns.”
According to the Stillwater (Oklahoma) Press:
Gulick
is classically trained and does traditional oil-on-canvas painting and
sculpture in his studio. However, for his mural work he makes use of a
medium still often associated with its rebellious roots: spray paint.
“A lot of people still think about spray paint with graffiti, but it’s becoming a more and more accepted art form,” Gulick said.
Gulick
eventually teamed up with street artist Anthony Carrera, who he met in
an art class. They paired for some mural work. The two had markedly
different styles and backgrounds but they blended their ideas into more
and more and more elaborate spray paint murals.
“Spray paint is faster and the color is vibrant,” Gulick said. “What we can do with a can of spray paint is pretty phenomenal.”
Some
artists who work with spray paint make use of stencils, but Gulick
insists on sketching all of his shapes and figures by hand until they
are just right.
Image of Daniel Gulick and Anthony Carrera is from the internet. I thought it was worth showing a better image of this mural in its entirety.
If you enjoy murals from around the world, please don't forget to visit Monday Murals at Sami's Colourful World.