Carson City's newest murals selected for Empire Elementary wall
Submitted by Kelsey Penrose on Fri, 08/09/2019 - 9:47am
Two artists have been selected to design and install murals on a two-sided wall near Empire Elementary School on La Loma Drive, under the theme “Reach for the Stars.”
The winning artists are Bill Louis and Bryce Chisholm, both from the Reno/Sparks area.
Each artist took the theme of Reach for the Stars and created a unique visual representation to add color to the walls, so that children every day who pass by could be reminded of its meaning.
Bill Louis is a mural artist who has completed a variety of pieces in the area. He graduated from Sparks High School and grew up in the Reno/Sparks area.
“I love to paint with vibrant colors,” said Louis. “I feel the colors express the different emotions that we feel. I thought this would be a great opportunity for me to paint in Carson City for the first time, and I love the theme ‘Reach for the Stars’ which is inspiring to the next generation.”
Louis’s own children are in elementary school, which also drew him to the project. “Reaching for the stars is something I encourage them to do everyday.”
On his interpretation of the theme for his work he said:
“I wanted to depict a child’s silhouetted figure in the desert sunset reaching out to the universe. The landscape will be in the desert with Dark blue skies, red and off-red tones for the mountains and a darker background with green cactus to accent the dark tones. He will have star-like orbs in his hand to depict the power he has and the potential to do what he wants; symbolic to creating his own future. He will have multiple colors in his shirt to represent diversity as in connection with the sun (with matching multiple colors). The sun is also symbolic in the image as a star, in that it is reachable no matter who you are.”
Bryce Chisholm is a Reno-based artist, and generally completes several murals a year in Northern Nevada, and recently finished painting the Town Skate Park of Fernley.
“My subjects range from children, women and animals to airplanes, helicopters and nostalgic propaganda,” said Chisholm. “I like my art to be full of color and filled with powerful images that people can relate to. I produce a lot of work and like to constantly improve my art through experimentation. I will paint on just about anything I have around, as I am currently painting on canvas, wood, water color paper, panel boards, skateboard decks, magnets and even the hood of a car.”
Chisholm continues to learn and improve his craft through each project he works on.
“I learn by experience and experiment,” he went on. “I like to try new things and am always trying to push my artwork into new areas. Learning what does not work is the best way to determine what will work. Either in medium, subject matter or style, pushing the boundaries with experimentation is what I strive for and is what I will continue to do.”
He decided to apply for the Carson City mural after finishing a mural for Peavine Elementary in Reno, and seeing how much the children and the neighborhood enjoyed the artwork.
On his interpretation of his mural, Chisholm took a literal approach.
“My vision for this mural is a little girl reaching for the stars,” he said. “On the right hand side it shows her more grown up and in an astronaut uniform as she has truly reached the stars. It's about dreaming as a child and then actually pursuing and reaching those goals through hard work and dedication.”
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