It's about time Phoenix sees some serious mural love. In the interest of giving credit to their artists and because we're losing track of the times we've said, "Woah, when did that go up?", we bring you Mural City, a series on the murals springing up around town -- their artists, their hosts and their inspirations.
If you've meandered around Roosevelt Row, you may have seen these skeletons before.
They're the signature works of Lalo Cota, who was born in Navojoa, Sonora, Mexico and grew up celebrating and loving Dia de los Muertos. "The skeletons are from my earliest memories," says Cota," and while they're not all I do, they're definitely what I'm known for."
His skeletons are popping up all over the city, but we spotted these fresh ones at Carly's Bistro.
You may be able to catch him or his two collaborators, Pablo Luna and Thomas Marcus, aka Breeze, painting at Carly's in the evening for the next few days -- Cota admits that while it may look done, there are still a few finishing touches. The project has taken 22 hours so far, which has all been donated time. But he says the project gives him a chance to contribute and to connect with other street artists in the community.
"When I'm outside painting or spraying, kids will come up to me and ask where they can get spray paint or brushes," says Cota. "It's great because I feel like for the first time, kids downtown have the resources and community available to be creative and participate in public art."
Cota's artwork can also be seen on the side of Conspire and on Roosevelt Street between Fourth and Fifth streets. His work will also be in a street art show at Pravus gallery in August, which will feature works from the top graffiti writers in Phoenix.
The post above has been edited from its original form to include the mural collaborators, Pablo Luna and Thomas Marcus.