Designed and painted by local artists of the Regional Artisans Association (RAA) the new Capitola Whale Mural located on the outside of the 41st Avenue Cinema facing 38th St was completed in July 2017 and is the fourth mural created by the RAA.
The RAA is the nonprofit organization that manages the Art of Santa Cruz art Gallery located inside the Capitola Mall. Reaching out to the community, whether it is through the Third Friday Art Walk or a local mural, RAA is filled with talent. Visiting the Art of Santa Cruz store is a walk through a myriad of art mediums representing all local artists in its projects as well as in its store.
Three murals have been painted in Scotts Valley by the RAA using local artists, students and volunteers. It was a collaboration of community involvement. Once the mural is designed and projected onto the wall, colors are assigned numbers and many skilled and unskilled hands alike painted the wall. Each mural took several weekends to complete.
The RAA’s first mural was painted in 2012 on the outside wall of the local Scotts Valley Cinelux Theatre. It is a collage of movies shot in Santa Cruz, including Mountain Mitzie (starring Bette Davis), Meet me on the Boardwalk (starring Mickey Rooney) and a tribute to Alfred Hitchcock’s many films including Vertigo.
The second mural, also painted in 2012, is on the sidewall of Capitola’s Kings Plaza in of recognition of the dairy farm that was located on the land Kings Plaza is built on. The dairy farm was operational from 1867 until the late 1960’s when Developers purchased the land.
In 2013 the third mural was painted on the new Scotts Valley Library celebrating the Sky Park airport. Sky Park was a private airport established in 1947 as a training facility for pilots under the GI bill and was operational through 1983.
As a very small airport and as airplanes grew, the runways became less safe.
Check out the RAA’s beautification of Capitola and Scotts Valley, it’s worth the drive.
Elaine Kennedy, Art of Santa Cruz Artist 831/515-7390