Pasadena Art Deco
Our Art Deco inspired mural titled “Pasadena Sunset Symphony” can be found at 1543 E Colorado Blvd located right across from Pasadena City College on historic Route 66. The artwork is also on the side wall of Bubble Puff & Tea so you can also grab some boba and Hong Kong style egg waffles if you go visit! As you can see, it’s one of our styles outside of our traditional large letter postcard murals but it still keeps the vintage travel vibe.
We’ve been searching for the perfect wall for our official Greetings from Pasadena large letter mural for some time now. This particular canvas wasn't quite right for that postcard style, but it was perfect for one of our vertically oriented Art Deco styles. So, we decided to donate this mural to the city as a holiday gift and to raise awareness for the upcoming large letter project. Thanks again to our friend Rene Amy for helping us power wash and patch the wall before we started. We painted this one right along the Rose Parade route while the bleachers were going up across the street.
Normally, our mural projects involve lots of community input, but this time, as a local (finally), Victor utilized his creative freedom. Drawing on our experience working with many different communities, we made sure to tie in local landmarks, culture, history, and nature to make sure the mural speaks to the city and its people.
"While Pasadena City Hall might be considered a cliché for a featured local landmark, I chose to portray a more abstract & graphic style with the lights illuminating the building in the evening. My focus was primarily on accentuating the top dome structure of the building, paying homage to the city's moniker, the 'Crown City.' In the background, you’ll see the San Gabriel mountains at sunset complemented by the graceful flight of green parrots. It’s one of my favorite times of day in the San Gabriel Valley area and one I witnessed while packing up my supplies during several evenings.
Photo reference by Kit Leong
The juxtaposition of vibrant oranges in the foreground pays tribute to the region's historical citrus groves, which played a pivotal role in shaping the city we recognize today. Beyond their historical significance, the oranges carry a dual meaning, symbolizing good luck and prosperity in Chinese culture. As both the property owner, business proprietors, and myself share Chinese heritage, incorporating this symbolism felt like a relevant and meaningful tribute to this particular location." - Victor Ving
Originally, we thought this mural would take a week, but it took twice as long since Victor worked on it during his free time at the end of the year. Painting close to home also meant we could take our time to make it as clean as possible since there was no hard deadline. We even brought Honeybear out of storage to make a guest appearance for this one!
Even though we were working in the city we lived in, we had the same experience of connecting with a lot of locals walking by the mural daily. Many people start by silently observing and eventually open up the more we see them. Eventually, we get to say hi on a first name basis and become part of their micro community. At one point, we even helped a neighbor who got locked out of his house by using our ladder to get him back inside through his balcony.
There’s a lot of people who also aren’t from here or have friends/family in other places. Usually, there’s some kind of a connection to them with another mural we’ve done in other relevant places. Our hope is that these little encounters will make the artwork more meaningful to them every time they pass it in the future.
A big thanks to Montana Cans, The Fine Arts Club of Pasadena, and Visit Pasadena for their generous support to cover some of the supply costs! Shoud out to the amazing owners of Bubble Puff & Tea (Vivian & Connie) for believing in this project and always offering drinks & snacks while we were painting. Last but not least, thank you to Paul Little at the Pasadena Chamber for hosting the ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the completion of the mural. We made sure everyone has been permanently honored on the freshly installed plaque!
Rose Parade 2024
Rose Parade 2024
After the dust settled from the Rose Parade, we celebrated the completion of the mural with a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony hosted by the Pasadena Chamber of Commerce. We were thankful of the turnout and all who came by to support public art in Pasadena. Special thanks to a local photographer Zack Larez (who lived on the block) who captured a lot of the event for us!
Press:
Pasadena Now - Artists to Unveil ‘Sunset Symphony’ Mural Celebrating Local Heritage
Colorado Boulevard.net - Pasadena’s New Art Deco Mural
Local News Pasadena - Victor Ving Goes to the Wall
Pasadena Weekly - Coloring the Nation: Couple brightening the country one mural at a time
Year: 2023
Mural Size: 15’H x 12’W
Location: 1543 E Colorado Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91106