Posted on Aug 21, 2022
Texas artists honor the Uvalde victims with 21 murals they hope will help healing
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Artists from across the state have come together in this small southwest Texas town to honor the 19 students and two teachers killed in late May at Robb Elementary School. They've painted giant portraits of each victim with the hope of helping the community heal.
It's a huge endeavor at any time, but most especially during Texas in August.
It's morning time but already sweltering just off Uvalde's pecan tree-lined town square. The artist who goes by the name Uloang, has been up all night painting, to avoid the blistering midday sun.
"I'm half awake!" he said.
A few hours earlier, he'd put the finishing touches on a 20-by-20-foot portrait of Maranda Mathis on the side of an office building. She's one of the fourth-graders killed at Robb Elementary School.
"As I was painting her face, and once I felt like I was getting her smile down, I could see her personality coming through," Uloang said. "And I just kind of felt like, 'Oh, hi, Maranda! There you are.' And I could barely hold it together. Definitely shed a few tears."
Artists from across the state have come together in this small southwest Texas town to honor the 19 students and two teachers killed in late May at Robb Elementary School. They've painted giant portraits of each victim with the hope of helping the community heal.
It's a huge endeavor at any time, but most especially during Texas in August.
It's morning time but already sweltering just off Uvalde's pecan tree-lined town square. The artist who goes by the name Uloang, has been up all night painting, to avoid the blistering midday sun.
"I'm half awake!" he said.
A few hours earlier, he'd put the finishing touches on a 20-by-20-foot portrait of Maranda Mathis on the side of an office building. She's one of the fourth-graders killed at Robb Elementary School.
"As I was painting her face, and once I felt like I was getting her smile down, I could see her personality coming through," Uloang said. "And I just kind of felt like, 'Oh, hi, Maranda! There you are.' And I could barely hold it together. Definitely shed a few tears."
Texas artists honor the Uvalde victims with 21 murals they hope will help healing
Posted from npr.org
Uvalde
Art
Firearms and Guns
Posted >1 y ago
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel good morning Brother William, solid read and share, keep them coming.
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Prayers for the healing of the community and that something like this doesn't happen again
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."Artist Ruben Esquivel chose to paint Jayce with his favorite dinosaur ninja, a paper plane and a cup of coffee, like he made for his grandparents every day.
"And this is like his final cup of coffee to them," Esquivel said. "He also used to write them love letters. So the paper plane is this kind of final letter, and it's going to say, 'I love you' on the wing in his handwriting."
Veronica Luevanos says all the portraits are beautiful.
"It brings a lot of joy to us," she said. "A lot of comfort."
She said she plans to visit Jailah and Jayce here for the rest of her days."
..."Artist Ruben Esquivel chose to paint Jayce with his favorite dinosaur ninja, a paper plane and a cup of coffee, like he made for his grandparents every day.
"And this is like his final cup of coffee to them," Esquivel said. "He also used to write them love letters. So the paper plane is this kind of final letter, and it's going to say, 'I love you' on the wing in his handwriting."
Veronica Luevanos says all the portraits are beautiful.
"It brings a lot of joy to us," she said. "A lot of comfort."
She said she plans to visit Jailah and Jayce here for the rest of her days."
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