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Photos by Asia Morris.<\/em><\/p>\n Long Beach artist Jose Loza has been working for 12 days and counting on a brand new mural in North Long Beach, located at Intercity Fellowship Hall, thanks to District Nine Councilmember Rex Richardson\u2019s Creative Corridors Challenge<\/a>, where residents are given the support to beautify an area with murals and landscaping.\u00a0<\/p>\n RELATED<\/small> <\/p>\n Loza, a Cuernavaca native who has lived most of his life in Long Beach, is not only a talented painter, but a beacon of inspiration for those interested in taking up a creative passion of their own, a point of view he attributes to when he was given the opportunity to explore the profession. When Loza was 15, his parents signed him up for the city\u2019s mural arts program where he would help the artists manage the younger kids volunteering to help paint.<\/p>\n \u201cI liked it, so I just kept with it,\u201d he said. \u201cI kept pestering [the artists] like, \u2018Hey, when are you guys doing another job? I\u2019ll volunteer, I\u2019ll help out.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Many of those jobs turned into paying gigs with Loza working as an assistant. Eventually he built up a portfolio and has been working as an artist ever since.<\/p>\n The mural\u2019s meaning is intentionally vague, a series of symbols meant to be interpreted by the viewer, whether it\u2019s the motorist driving by or a pedestrian on their way to the hall. Ultimately, the work is about rebirth, a fitting theme for the space it\u2019s painted upon: a nonprofit organization that provides meeting rooms for various 12-step programs of recovery.<\/p>\n \u201cI was worried because sometimes when you pitch something like that, people are like, \u2018What are you tryna do?\u2019\u201d said Loza. But they were really receptive. That way if somebody looks at it they can take whatever they want from it. It\u2019s the first time I\u2019ve tried that on a project and so far so good. People come up with their own ideas about the mural.\u201d<\/p>\n After receiving City Council and Intercity Fellowship Hall approval for the design, Loza started the work. A community day was held earlier in April, where volunteers helped the local artist initiate the wall on the first day of painting, where Loza experienced a come-full-circle moment, if you will.<\/p>\n \u201cI like doing this because that\u2019s how I started,\u201d he said. \u201cSo if someone is interested and wants to ask me anything, I\u2019m happy to help out.\u201d<\/p>\n You can catch the artist at work this Thursday and this weekend.<\/p>\n For more information about Jose Loza, visit his website here<\/a>. For more information about the Community Corridor Challenge<\/a>, click here and the Intercity Fellowship Hall, click here<\/a>.<\/a><\/p>\n
\n\n\u00a0<\/div>\nRex Richardson\u2019s Office to Launch New North Long Beach CREATIVE CORRIDOR Initiative Tomorrow<\/a><\/h2>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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