Artist Edwin Martinez-Escobar stands in front of his completed mural painted on the north side of the Carson City Chamber building at 1900 S. Carson St., after receiving a certificate of gratitude from Mayor Lori Bagwell (right). Southwest Gas Corp., represented by Stacy Woodbury, (left) sponsored the mural.
Various Carson City arts groups have long wanted to bring artistic expression to the downtown through mural art. There have been a few murals painted here and there over the years; however, much of that art has been overpainted leaving blank slates.
While there had been continued talk of encouraging more mural art, there was no concentrated coordination – that is, until artist and “Facilitator of Interaction,” Eric Brooks of the Sierra Arts Foundation and gallery curator of the Brewery Arts Association saw the possibility and scouted out the blank slates around town. He then called his artist friends together to create the type of magic he had created in other communities around the globe.
One of the artistic mural magicians called by Brooks to participate in our city’s first Music and Murals Festival was Edwin Martinez-Escobar. Matchmaker Brooks assigned artists to the participating businesses and paired the Chamber with Martinez, and, as it turned out, it was a great match.
Martinez met with me and his new arts patron, Stacy Woodbury of Southwest Gas, to decide what should be painted on our two-story western-style building. As one would expect since the Chamber is on the site of the Nevada State Railroad Museum, we chose the back wall to depict the famous Virginia and Truckee Railroad.
During the conversation, it was brought up that we might like a horse theme instead since so many of the visitors who come to our information center ask us where they can possibly view the wild horses. This got him excited, and he offered to paint a horse theme on our north facing wall as well.
We watched our creative magician first paint his canvas black followed by chalk outlines. Then, the paintbrush and spray paints came out and suddenly, as if by magic, the heads of the horses appeared as if they were galloping out of our building. Then came the bodies and the finishing touches to create an amazing mural that caught the attention of many who stopped to chat with him. Watching an artist at work is fascinating for those of us who do not possess artistic talent.
Martinez emigrated with his family from Mexico City to Reno when he was nine. He always loved art and color and stated, “As a child, I was inspired by the vibrant and colorful art depicting stories found everywhere in Mexico City.”
While in high school in Reno, he joined Hispanic Youth Image and started painting his first murals. Upon graduation, he joined the United States Navy, serving between 2000-04, and is a veteran of the Persian Gulf War. During his four years aboard ships, his talent for sketching was noticed leading him to be assigned to paint school to learn techniques used to paint logos and other art on military aircraft.
His first real break as a professional mural artist came when he assisted well-known Reno artist Eric Burke - you can see Burke’s work at the north Carson City McDonald’s and at the Brewery Arts Center – as they collaborated to paint the Reno Rodeo Wall.
This led to commissions for the Washoe County Regional Parks department and the painting of the blighted McCarran Tunnel in 2021 at San Rafael Park as well as North Valleys Regional Skateboard Park. Businesses took notice and he continues to be busy painting murals inside and out for various businesses and restaurants, including the new Mexican restaurant in the Reno Airport located just outside the TSA.
He is delighted that creating artistic magic has become his full-time profession. And so are we! Our family of wild horses on the run attracted many viewers during the festival held Sept. 28-30. He could be seen painting well into the wee hours of the morning which he loves to do stating, “While painting, I was visited by a family of 7 deer and was enchanted by the songs sung to me by a friendly toad seated on the gas meter beside me. The full moon, too, shone upon me.” He loves being able to do his craft outdoors and thoroughly enjoyed when people stopped by to visit and comment.
How does he feel about Carson City? “I am in love with this city which in many ways reminds me of what Reno was like 20 years ago.” He’s now creating magic on the Latino Research Center at UNR and is currently in discussion with the Reno VA Center which, as a veteran, would be a great honor for him.
When on the job, he neatly organizes his paints and tools and gets into his “zone.” He declares, “Art has always been my passion, my meditation, and keeps me focused. I am often surprised when I clean up my paints at the end of the day and step back to assess my work to see just how much I accomplished.”
To Martinez, being a part of our first Music and Murals Festival was “magical.” Just being able to reconnect with his contemporaries was a treat since much of what a mural artist does is singular in nature.
The Carson City Chamber thanks Southwest Gas Corporation for their support of the arts in Carson City and funding the amazing art to be viewed on the Chamber building and around the city for many years. We also salute the Brewery Arts Center and Eric Brooks who declares, “The Mural Festival highlighted how public art can create community unity. The amount of people walking through and around town was staggering.”
Most of all we salute the amazing, polite, talented, and warm-hearted Edwin Martinez-Escobar and hope he will again climb his ladder to create even more magic within our city.