SE Texas’ next generation of muralists takes their alley
Maurice Abelman offers color choice advice to Alex Pradon as he introduces students in his graphic design classes at Lamar State College Port Arthur to spray paint mural art. Photo made January 2022, Kim Brent/The Enterprise
Lupe Lopez sets out her paints on a scaffold before getting to work on her mural. Photo made January 2022, Kim Brent/The Enterprise By Kim Brent, The Beaumont Enterprise
Republished with permission
Originally appeared January 2022
Last summer, artist Maurice Abelman was offered a downtown alleyway to hone his skills as a muralist. That opportunity led to mural offers from other building owners.
Recently, Abelman started paying it forward.
Abelman gathered with his Lamar State College Port Arthur graphic art students in the alley and invited them to pick their canvas from among the bare brick spaces.
He then walked them through the process of transforming last semester’s final art project into larger-than-life spray paint murals.
It’s a method of creating that was new to the three who came for day one of the mural work.
Second-year student Chance Cooper, and first-years Alex Pradon and Lupe Lopez selected their spots. Lopez chose to brave a scaffold to paint above the work already completed by Abelman.
They began by painting what Abelman called a “doodle grid” — randomly applying shapes, lines and letters over a swatch of the wall.
Abelman took a photo of the finished grid, then overlayed it with a transparent photo of their illustration in Apple’s Procreate program.
It created a template from which they could paint an outline of their work.
“Most professional muralists use projections of their drawings to replicate it accurately on a larger scale,” Abelman said.
Working outside during the day doesn’t allow for that technique, however. The doodle grid method provides a needed referential “structure to get proportions and perspective correct,” he explained.
Within hours, the artwork created digitally last semester took on new form painted on brick and mortar.
As they worked, Abelman offered tips on spray paint techniques - using shorter strokes to avoid losing paint in the wind-swept alley; avoiding drips in their lines; filling in with color and shading.
While the students lean toward genres of graphic art — animation and comic book art for Pradon and illustrative work in the music industry for Cooper — the introduction to murals opened their eyes to other possibilities.
Lopez is still mulling her future in the arts — something in social media or animation, perhaps.
“I know graphic design will take me where I want to go if I try hard enough,” she said.
On Friday, Abelman and his students will return to the alley and finish Thursday’s work, while others begin their pieces.
It’s a teaching tool Abelman plans to continue with his students to come - a bonus experience to their coursework, but also a way to grow future muralists in the area.
“I’ve already gotten offers to do murals on other buildings” after the alley’s success, Abelman said. “Maybe I can have a team to help complete the work.”
