With the stroke of a brush, a memorable mural named La Cañada De Los Osos in Los Osos is getting a makeover.
“Trees, you can just go crazy with them, how natural they are, and there’s really no rules to nature,” said Manuel Cruz, the artist repainting the mural.
The mural located on the corner of Los Osos Valley Road and 10th Street was painted 35 years ago by artist Janice Hand.
Pandora Nash-Karner is the president of Celebrate Los Osos, a volunteer-led organization that works to improve public spaces in Los Osos.
“If you walked by, I mean literally the paint was peeling off the wall, and we thought ‘okay we can do this,’" Nash-Karner said. "So, a subcommittee was formed and they went looking for a mural artist.”
That committee hired Cruz, who comes from a family of artists. He took an interest in mural painting, doing it professionally since 1987.
Cruz has painted other murals along the North Coast, including at the Art Center in Morro Bay and on the Way Station in Cayucos.
“While I’m working on the mural, a lot of people drive by honking, applauding, can’t believe it’s being restored," Cruz said. "One day, one lady came by and she says, 'My son painted on that when he was two years old.'"
Nash-Karner says they received one grant for this project and the rest of the funds came from donations, raising about $20,000.
“We have 400 volunteers and people are just amazing. They love helping this community and then they like going by the project later on and say, 'I had a lot to do with that,'" Nash-Karner said.
The mural is expected to be finished in about two weeks. Then the Celebrate Los Osos organization will seek other locations in Los Osos and Baywood to place smaller murals.
You can find out how to donate here.
