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Mural attempts to give a look to the Bakersfield Sound
| Tuesday, Mar 4 2008 4:19 PM
Last Updated: Wednesday, Mar 5 2008 8:32 AM
Lifelong Bakersfield residents swap stories of running into Buck Owens and remember Merle Haggard’s house.
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The Arts Council of Kern will celebrate the launch of a mural project commemorating the Bakersfield Sound at Fishlips on Friday. Scheduled to appear is famed Los Angeles muralist Eloy Torrez, who helped regional artists create portraits of the city's musical stars at a workshop in early February. (Photo courtesy of Jill Egland)
Western Swing performer Carolina Cotton. (Photo courtesy of Jill Egland)
Scheduled to appear at Fishlips Friday is famed Los Angeles muralist Eloy Torrez, who helped regional artists create portraits of the city's musical stars at a workshop in early February. (Photo courtesy of Jill Egland)
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Everyone knew that “mysterious building” on North Chester Avenue was Owens’ studio, said Jill Egland.
“It was a big trick in high school — we’d try to peek in the windows without getting caught,” she said.
Egland, member of the Arts Council of Kern, said her group wants to honor the city’s musical heritage and that collective memory with a mural. Artists will meet at Fishlips Friday afternoon and they want you to come share your ideas.
“That’s part of our vernacular, those of us who grew up here,” Egland said of the famous old sites. “So this mural is gonna be something that celebrates who we are now and also celebrates where we’ve come from.”
How should we depict stars such as Bonnie Owens or Cousin Herb Henson? Where should it go?
Egland said the location should make sense, “somewhere that speaks to the Bakersfield Sound.” They’ll plan this summer. They hope the first brushstrokes will be on by fall, she said.
In early February, Los Angeles-based muralist Eloy Torrez, whose art is sprawled on multistory buildings in the big city, held a workshop in Bakersfield to help local artists prepare for the challenges of creating large-scale public artwork, discussing the techniques and materials required.
Artists painted from magnified photos of Carolina Cotton, Haggard, Owens and others. The portraits will be up for sale Friday at the meeting.
The council also needs input on other projects, including murals planned for Highway 99 and Highway 58, Egland said. Artists are planning a mural commemorating Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at the community center off California Avenue named after him; that project should start in early fall. “Dress Up Chester,” a project in which artists will paint storefront windows along the avenue, should be ready next month.
GO & DO
What: Bakersfield Sound Mural & Future Projects, idea session sponsored by Fishlips and the Arts Council of Kern.
When: 4 to 6 p.m. Friday
Where: Fishlips, 1517 18th St.
Cost: Free
Details: 324-9000