RECUBED: Artists Revitalize Downtown Murals

RECUBED

ARTISTS REVITALIZE DOWNTOWN MURALS

by Gina Castro | photos by Garrett Hallbauer

It’s no secret that the CUBED murals raised the bar of public art in Pensacola. The murals quickly became a popular spot for taking photos, and it was featured as one of Downtown Crowd’s Instagrammable locations in 2018. Since 2017, the CUBED murals have been repainted by local artists each year. The pandemic caused Pensacola Museum of Art to put this tradition on hold in 2020. Hurricane Sally also damaged the murals. The lone surviving mural after the hurricane is Ophelia, painted by Krista Bennett. PMA Director, Nicholas Croghan explained that since the PMA wasn’t sure when they’d be able to feature another set of new murals, they added an enlarged photo from the Antarctica Seasons of Water and Ice show to one side of the cubes. The show’s photographs were taken by UWF biology professor Dr. Wade Jeffrey and will be featured at the museum until April 4. The PMA also hopes to cover one side of a cube with a map of the historic trust. Fortunately, the PMA was able to bring back a fresh set of murals in March. The PMA selected five new murals from local artists. STOA Architects sponsored each artist.

“We really tried to find a good balance between different types of work. So the artists that were selected are going to be doing paintings that range from kind of more impressionistic landscapes, photorealistic portraits, some more kind of street art graffiti style, all the way to kind of a fun, more cartoony like illustration,” Croghan said back in February.

The five new murals are now finished and ready for viewing. Downtown Crowd spoke with the artists behind each mural.

The Sand Sculptor by Loren Miller & Dave Ham

Although Miller and Ham grew up on different sides of the world, they share a similar background in art. Miller was born and raised in Jay. He attended both Savannah College of Art and Design and Florida State University, where he apprenticed one of the founders of the Portrait Society of America. That apprenticeship led to his interest in classical painting and sculpting. Miller then moved back to the area, worked for PMA, taught at a middle school and then began a tattoo apprenticeship. Miller now owns Three Fates Tattoo. Miller and Ham met at Three Fates Tattoo. Ham grew up in Brisbane, Australia. Ham moved to the area to attend Pensacola Christian College, where he studied under Brian Jekel. Ham’s time with Jekel sparked his interest in classical painting. After completing his master’s, Ham began a tattoo apprenticeship at Three Fates Tattoo.

“Apart from here at the tattoo shop, this will be the first kind of big project we’ve worked on together,” Miller said. “We both speak a very similar language when it comes to painting because we both trained in a very similar way.”

Miller and Ham’s mural The Sand Sculptor was inspired by their friend and client who is a local professional sand sculptor. Miller explained that they wanted the mural to tie in local talent and the beachy element that Pensacola is known for. “Our goal is to make it look like a classical painting but with a modern subject,” Miller explained. To see more of Miller’s art, visit lorenmillerart.com. To see more of Ham’s work, visit daveham.art.

Morrison Springs Squirrel Tribute by Lilly Stark

Growing up in North Dakota, Stark watched her mom paint murals and signs all over Stark’s hometown. As she got older, Stark began helping her mom with these projects. Stark moved to the Pensacola area to study marine biology, but she changed gears to art after taking some art classes at Pensacola State College. Stark fell deeper into Pensacola’s art scene through cosplay. She builds her own costumes. Although she isn’t studying marine biology anymore, Stark’s passion for the water and environment hasn’t changed. Stark spends her free time diving into the area’s springs. Among her favorites is Morrison Spring, located in Ponce De Leon.

“I dived there right after the hurricane. All the fallen dead leaves were on top of the water and the water was crystal clear,” Stark said. “That was one of my favorite photos, and that’s actually my favorite time to dive out there, too.”

This trip to Morrison Spring is Stark’s inspiration for the mural. The mural is a painting of the photo she took of the spring. The mural is also an homage to Bernard, a Southern flying squirrel. Six years ago, Stark rescued Bernard, who fell out of a tree after a hurricane and couldn’t return to the wild. These squirrels are native to Florida and the areas surrounding the springs. So keep an eye out for Southern flying squirrels in her mural Morrison Springs Squirrel Tribute. Stark hid a couple throughout the painting. To see more of Stark’s art, find her on Instagram @pitskitsuy.fart.

Great Place To Be A Dog by Emily Woodson and Nathan Dillaha

Artists and proud dog owners, Woodson and Dillaha agree that Pensacola is definitely something to bark about, especially if you’re a dog. Woodson and Dillaha met at Levin Rinke Realty, where they currently work. Woodson is a marketing associate at Levin Rinke. Ever since Woodson moved back to the area after receiving a degree in illustration, she’s been set on painting her first mural in Pensacola. Dillaha began a career in graphic design through the music industry. He’s a member of the local band Panzacola and frequently found himself designing t-shirts and flyers for the band. Later, he was hired as a graphic designer for Levin Rinke. Dillaha has painted a few murals in the area but not one quite like Great Place To Be A Dog.

“What I’ve noticed more than anything in Pensacola is public art and pet accessibility, and that’s definitely what inspired our mural design,” Woodson said. “I can bring my dog downtown and I know that I’ll be able to get a bite, a drink, go down to the farmers market and have my furry friend with me the whole time.”

This mural celebrates the city’s love for dogs and art. “When in doubt, go with what you love. And we love our pets,” Dillaha said.

Great Place To Be A Dog features a pile of adorable dogs in a Pensacola centric color palette. To make the painting even more heartwarming, Woodson and Dillaha included their own pups in the mural along with their friend’s dogs, too. For more of Woodson’s art, go to @emilywoodsonillustration on Facebook. To keep up with Dillaha, follow him on IG @nathandillaha.

Great Job! by Jaime Diffee

Diffee is a Pensacola native who has a thing for possums. “They just kind of stick to themselves and look scary, but they really just have a small brain and want food. They’re really cute,” Diffee explained. Diffee has been an artist since as early as she can remember-- a gift passed to her from her father. Diffee always felt drawn to nature and enjoyed playing in the dirt. Initially, she went to UWF for archeology, but eventually, she found her way to studio art. Nature continues to be an inspiration for her art. In 2017, Diffee and her friend Olga Silva painted a mural as part of CUBED’s first iterations. The two did another mural near UWF’s art studio of a banana and a possum. After receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts and BA in Art History from UWF, Diffee became the Preparator & Assistant Registrar at the PMA.

“She [Olga] is known for bananas, and I’m known for possums. Olga had to move back to Brazil after she graduated, so in honor of her, there’s a little banana in the corner,” Diffee said.

Diffee’s mural Great Job! features her classic possum and also a banana peel in honor of her longtime friend, Olga. To enjoy more of Diffee’s work, follow her on IG @heyletscommunicate.

Lonesome/Crowded by Aidan Garcia

Garcia describes himself as a selftaught artist. Since his family is comprised of musicians, painters and hair stylists, Garcia grew up surrounded by the arts. He recalls painting as early as age seven. He and his brothers painted the murals at Salon San Carlos, which their parents own. Garcia is especially interested in surrealism.

“I grew up being really interested in Salvador Dali and a lot of contemporary surrealism artists who are doing really weird stuff that you don’t see anywhere else,” Garcia said. “Growing up in a place like Pensacola, it’s pretty conservative. So I’ve always been interested in breaking that mold. Trying to do something that provokes people to think and maybe make them uncomfortable.”

Garcia said that his brother, Austin, is always encouraging him to keep creating art. The message behind Garcia’s mural speaks to individuality and loneliness but it’s also optimistic.

There are some characters that Garcia describes as ancestral and a tortoise character to remind the viewer to take it slow.

“All of my work, as of recently, is very personal. It speaks to my individual experience,” Garcia said. “I wanted to do something to speak about the emotional experience of the individual.”

To see more of Garcia’s artwork, follow him on IG @aidangonzalezgarcia.