Issue link: https://tmcpulse.uberflip.com/i/662005
t m c ยป p u l s e | a p r i l 2 0 1 6 29 name anymore. I think, fortunately, it's almost like trying to get a Twitter handle or email address, if you are old enough to be in on the start of it. Now all of the good names are taken. So I was fortunate that I latched on to Gonzo. Q | Is there a piece here in Houston you are most recognized for? A | I think the most notable today is in Market Square. And that was a great project. It was, I guess you could say, an experiment. Houston First contacted me with this idea. Long story short, I was part of a photo campaign to adver- tise Houston as a cool place to be. They were doing a spread of creatives in Houston and had curators, art directors and artists, and I was fortunate to be included in this photograph to repre- sent the street art community, to show that Houston is in touch with that. So through that, I was asked to create a piece of artwork that they could include in the media packet. I painted a canvas that was probably three or four feet, and we did a high-resolution scan and they used that image, and it was great. And they ended up liking that image so much, they said, 'Wow, this is cool. Can you reproduce this on a larger level?' And I said yes. And they said, 'How big can you go?' And I said, 'How big of a wall can we get?' So we were scouting locations, and it just so hap- pened that Treebeards downtown used to have a mural on the side of the build- ing that depicted Market Square. It was more traditional, had fruits and vege- tables, and it was a beautiful mural, but unfortunately the wall had structural damage, so they essentially had to take that wall down and rebuild it. So they had just rebuilt that entire wall, and now where there used to be color was just cinder block. And they found out about this idea and said, 'Well, we have a wall here. We used to have a mural up and we would like to get something new.' So it was decided to do that. When the word got out that a graffiti mural was being put up, there was some pushback, like this was going to ruin the neighborhood. There were some doubters. There was pressure on me to create something that was who I am, but I also didn't want to offend or scare anyone off. So the piece was created and very fortunately, the response has been overwhelmingly positive, to the point where this has become a landmark and an icon for the city. And I really don't think any of us thought it would go that far. To the point where I want to say that two years ago, Instagram put out this report and this was the number one image that was tagged or posted for Houston that year, to give you an idea of how big that mural became. Q | How much has the field evolved to allow for a demand for the commissioning of street graffiti? A | I've been very fortunate, or prob- ably too stubborn to give up on this dream. But it has been a journey to get to this point. It definitely wasn't over- night success. I don't even like to use the word success. But I am a full-time artist. This is what I do for a living, and I am very appreciative any time anyone wants to work with me. I just recently completed a wall for the Dynamo. They did a really cool unveil- ing of their new uniform, and asked me if I could paint this giant wall as part of the media release. And I did that in like 12 hours, the side of a building. It was a challenge. I have a lot of great things in store for 2016. I'm actually currently working on some design work for the NCAA Final Four. I'm designing the actual bracket that will be used for the tourna- ment, among other things. So it's always exciting. I have done work with a lot of great companies here in the city. And people will ask why I am doing this cor- porate work, but I feel that companies are people too. And any time they want to work with a local artist or support local arts, how can you deny that they are reaching out? It's easy to say, 'Don't do corporate work. You are going to sell out.' But at the same time, it's like what's the point of having that attitude if they are reaching out to have you create something that is going to broaden their reach and talk to another audience or demographic? I think that's a perfect vehicle to also share the art form. But on top of that, I also do private commissioned artwork, where people come in and see what I do and they commission me to do private work. And we just recently founded the first street art museum, which is another vehicle for us to be able to showcase the history, document, preserve the culture, and be able to use that as an educational tool to show people where it came from so they can appreciate where it's at now. Q | Any closing thoughts? A | I applaud the work that the medical center is doing. It is such a big part of my life in the sense that the medical center took care of my mom when she had leukemia. The medical center just recently took care of my father-in-law who has Parkinson's. The medical center employs my aunts and uncles at all levels, and other family members. And I feel that it is such a big part of the city. It is obviously its own city within the city, but I enjoy the fact that when I drive through the city, I can see down- town, I can see the medical center, and be proud of what we have here. There was pressure on me to create something that was who I am, but I also didn't want to offend or scare anyone off. So the piece was created and very fortu- nately, the response has been overwhelmingly positive, to the point where this has become a landmark and an icon for the city. (Photo provided by Mario Enrique Figueroa Jr.)