By Arturo Garcia-Ayala, Columnist
A new mural combining the best elements from San Pedro’s local landmarks and characters from Alice in Wonderland is on the corner of O’Farrell and Oliver streets behind Sister Cities Plaza. It was painted by renowned graffiti artist and muralist, Jules Muck.
Jules recently moved to San Pedro from Venice Beach to seek more artistic opportunities.
“How can I be a part of the community?” she asked herself. “Honestly, [Venice Beach is] running out of space …. The work space is limited. There aren’t enough walls for muralists.”
She contacted her friend, Jason Ostro, who owns the Gabba Gallery in Los Angeles’ Filipino Town. He put Jules in contact with Linda Grimes, the managing director of San Pedro Waterfront Arts District. Linda then arranged Jules’ introduction to Leslie Jones. Leslie was already undertaking a cleanup effort with the San Pedro Caring Proactive Residence Volunteer Crew along Oliver Street behind Sister Cities Plaza, which also painted over the retaining wall turning it into a blank slate.
Leslie, recognizing Jules’s talent and reputation, immediately commissioned her to paint the expansive mural dedicated to the local parks. It also takes inspiration from the adjacent mural on a privately-owned wall depicting the Mad Hatter painted five months prior by another artist named Ricky Hernandez.
“San Pedro needs this, especially after the year it has had,” Leslie said.
To prepare the wall, there was a coordinated effort between the volunteer group San Pedro CPR and District 15 City Councilman Joe Buscaino’s office to beautify the area obscured behind a major freeway exit. The clean-up effort was a volunteer effort spearheaded by local San Pedro resident, George Matthews. In the past, the retaining wall on the other side of Sister Cities Plaza was constantly vandalized by gang graffiti, the sidewalk was littered with bottles and food containers. Residents’ attempts to maintain the area were futile.
The mural spans more than half of the neighborhood block. In one section, Jules has painted a stone footpath flanked by giant colorful mushrooms leading to the pond under the Averill Park bridge with the Point Fermin Lighthouse in the faded background. In another section, she has painted the Alice in Wonderland caterpillar relaxing on a leaf smoking a hookah under the windswept tree near Sunken City as the Cheshire Cat looks on grinning. A large Alice herself spanning several sections lays on the grass looking up at the sky, dreaming what could be. To her right, a swarm of monarch butterflies surround the Korean Bell of Friendship with a melting clock stretching off the pagoda roof as though someone tossed their large pizza on a whim.
“There is a difference between public art and making art in my studio because once it goes on [the wall] it belongs to everybody,” Jules said.
During the interview, Jules continued to answer questions while at the same time carefully controlling every spray with coordinated clarity. Random admirers who have heard of the new mural stopped by to express their appreciation — some even brought their families.
Her Story
Jules has been a muralist for 30 years. She was born in Stoke-on-Trent, England to a Greek father and British mother. Her family immigrated to the United States, settling in New York City. Jules began her artistic work as “a little graffiti writer; — I was painting on a rooftop in the Bronx.” She was discovered by another renowned graffiti artist — Sandra Fabara, aka Lady Pink — and during the next several years Jules expanded her talents further as Lady Pink’s apprentice. She apprenticed under her for several years before moving to Venice Beach in 2008.
In 2015, while visiting her father on the island of Lesvos in Greece, Jules personally witnessed the Syrian refugee crisis. While there at the harbor city of Mytilene, which was a major port of entry, Jules painted a mural of a woman draped in the Greek flag with only her eyes showing as a sympathetic gesture to the incoming refugees.
The Alice in Wonderland mural on Oliver Street was an achievement of coordination among the many concerned citizen groups.
“There is more to come,” Leslie said, implying this is only the beginning of more art projects in San Pedro.
You can follow Jules Muck on her website www.julesmuck.com or through her social media under the Instagram handle @muckrock.