New Point Loma mural celebrates Portuguese culture

POINT LOMA – An opening reception and unveiling were recently held for a new mural celebrating Portuguese culture by artist Hanna Daly and commissioned by the Point Loma Association.

PLA partnered with business member Glen Schmidt to create a vibrant new floral mural on the side of the Schmidt Design Building at 1310 Rosecrans Street.

“PLA approached us, asked if we’d be interested in participating, and we were happy to do that,” said Schmidt, founding partner of the 42-year-old landscape architecture and planning firm, which he characterized as being just like an architect but for the outdoors.

“The PLA left a lot of the selection of the mural’s artist, and the subject matter as well, up to us,” he said.

The PLA is a nonprofit organization that comprises a 20-member board of directors, ten committees, the Mean Green Team, Graffiti Busters, more than a thousand residents and business members, sponsors, donors, and hundreds of dedicated volunteers.

Schmidt researched muralists around town and selected two to interview before choosing Daly.

“She does wonderful work and is very talented,” he said. “We wanted it to be colorful and beautiful as well as to connect to the history of Point Loma. Hanna came up with the idea of portraying a long historical tradition in Portugal by creating a bouquet in which each flower has a different meaning. We felt it would be a beautiful addition to the neighborhood.”

Daly discussed the challenging process of articulating the mural’s floral theme, which took about a week to paint.

“It’s funny because I’m a huge traveler and I’ve been to 60 or more countries but I’ve never been to Portugal. I need to go now,” she said.

“[May 27] was the day of the wheat, 40 days after Easter, when [Portuguese] go out in the fields and collect all the flowers representing good fortune and prosperity. I love painting flowers, so this was perfect.”

On May 28, PLA board chair Beth Roach told assembled guests the commissioning of the new mural “supports the mission of the PLA, which raises money to continuously beautify the neighborhood and brighten the future of the Peninsula. This mural will be beautiful for generations to come.

“Our mission statement is, ‘We beautify, advocate, and inform to improve our quality of life on the Point.’ Projects like this, which we’re celebrating here, are the embodiment of community engagement and what it means to not only keep our neighborhood beautiful but make it more beautiful and add to the quality of life that we all enjoy. Art can have a unifying and a positive effect on people.”

Roach added that the all-volunteer PLA, since 1961, has been beautifying and enhancing the community, including maintaining dozens of landscape sites throughout Point Loma and Ocean Beach.

In presenting Daly, past PLA board chair Sandy Hanshaw said: “Hanna started Hanna’s Murals in 2004 and has painted over 1,500 murals since. She is dedicated to creating massive, colorful pieces that are accessible and uplifting. She’s spent the last 20 years painting murals all over California. She’s drawn to bright colors, flowers, and animals, and her murals certainly benefit from that passion.

“Hanna strives to run a business that creates little to no waste,” Hanshaw said. “Her murals are created using recycled and donated paint, and she reuses drop clothes, paint containers, and roller trays. She’s proud to be a successful gay female business owner who didn’t listen when the world told her she would become a starving artist if she followed her dreams. To those people, I say: ‘Look at her now.’”

Of the new Schmidt building’s floral mural design, Roach noted: “Each flower in the bouquet has a specific meaning, including ‘Papoila’ (poppy), which stands for love, and ‘Oliveira’ (olive branch), which stands for peace.”

Regarding Daly, Roach said, “She believes that everyone deserves art in their lives and has spent the last 20 years painting murals all over California to help fulfill that vision.”

Building owners interested in applying for a mural collaboration with the PLA should email info@pointloma.org. To learn more about the PLA, visit pointloma.org.