Local Artist Welcomes Fall with a Mural in Carlsbad

Carlsbad Patch asked Carlsbadcrawl.com's Bryan Snyder five questions about his work of art. Here is the Q&A:

Did (or the owner of he wall) ask you to do the mural?
The wall is actually owned by Cessy's neighbor so I began with approaching
them with a proposal. I explained why I chose the design, as well as why I
feel like the mural would be a positive addition to the community. After
my presentation, I was granted permission. I approached Cessy's with the
same proposal and reasoning. They were very excited and instantly gave
their approval.

What inspired this "Welcome to Fall" image?
I learned to draw at a pre-teen age by drawing the character represented
in the design repeatedly. After nearly 20 years, I recently revisited this
character by painting him on cardboard and hiding him in the Carlsbad
streets. They were just little doodles, but people really enjoyed them and
before I knew it, people began asking when the next "doodle" was going to
be hidden in the streets... and the name stuck. The "A Welcoming Fall"
mural was developed to celebrate the new fall season. It was painted on
Sept. 23 which is the first day of fall.

How long did it take?
I began erecting the two story high scaffolding at 8 a.m. and finished painting
the mural at 5 p.m.

Why did you decide to do this?
Other than three years in San Francisco for college, I have lived in Carlsbad my entire life. While living in SF and also traveling through Europe on occasional
trips abroad, I observed certain elements of communities not seen in
Carlsbad. I observed communities laden with arts. I saw personal
expression and experienced a strong network of creative minds. I also
learned how this improved the well-being of the community and also
stimulated growth and business. Not all communities have the resources
necessary for artistic growth within a specific area, but I felt Carlsbad
did. I have aggressively been planting the seed for the development of a
more artistic culture in Carlsbad for the past four years with art shows,
community gatherings, community projects, the opening of my studio and the
establishment of carlsbadcrawl.com. The mural is an important personal
milestone in my series of goals because it is the first large scale and
highly visible mural in the Village of Carlsbad outside of the standard
local icons of the ocean, sunsets, flowers and local history. The mural
represents a progressive shift from conservative artistic expression to a
more progressive.

Anything else?
The feedback from the public has been incredibly positive. From all the
surrounding business owners to the passing public. Young and old, local
and visiting.

While painting the mural, an elderly lady approached me and told me how
she and her husband just returned from Europe where they noticed large
amounts of murals all over the countries they visited. She continued to
tell me how beautiful they were and how much they added to the urban
landscape. She thanked me for adding color to the predominantly blank and
conservative walls of Carlsbad. She even asked me who she needs to contact
to request more murals in Carlsbad. I gave her a long list of city elected
council and board members! My ultimate goal for the past 4 years has been
to develop more of an artistic culture in Carlsbad through color and
community... and things are really beginning to shift!