COLOR AMID COVID
West Town mural was painted to bring a dash of vibrancy when virus stopped world
Erick Chavez doesn’t typically draw people he knows. He doesn’t paint on commission. Instead, as you pass by his mural in the viaduct at North Elizabeth and West Hubbard streets in West Town, he’s sharing a moment with passers-by of an unknown woman whose face he re-created in vibrant spray-painted colors.
“When I draw a person, I try to draw an expression or moment, not just them,” Chavez says. “You’re not going to get a perfect painting or perfect person. You’re going to get a moment in time.”
Chavez, 39, who grew up in Little Village, lives in Cicero, where his bedroom is his art studio. But the city is his canvas.
Originally a graffiti artist, Chavez now paints public spaces with brightly colored murals in which he aims to capture moments that inspired him. The graffiti influence is obvious. On Elizabeth Street, layers of brightly colored swirls, angles and patterns dance under bold strokes of black that comprise the woman’s face and features. The colors underneath summon spring, with pastels of teal, salmon and forest green.
“I like to work with very bright colors,” Chavez says. “I’m talking like the brighter the better. With this one, I wanted to make a big environment where you’re going to stop and see this. Even if you don’t understand it, you’re going to stop and see it.”
Chavez painted this mural in August 2020. It’s the only one left of four that he clustered in the neighborhood.
“I wanted to paint something that stood out in the middle of a pandemic,” he says. “I wanted to use a lot of colors and use a bunch of different designs to convey vibrancy.”
When Chavez notices a moment he wants to capture, he’ll often take a picture, cut out a photo from a newspaper or save a webpage — whatever it was that inspired him. He’ll store the image and revisit it until he finds the time and space to paint it.
“These people are random images I’ll find,” he says. “I don’t know these people. Which makes it kind of unique. When I see the moment, I’ll know.”
Growing up, Chavez says he was fascinated by drawing and painting but didn’t consider himself particularly talented. Then, he found graffiti. He was a graffiti artist for 20 years before turning six years ago to face and design work. While he occasionally uses acrylics or adds clip art with wheat paste, Chavez’s go-to medium is spray paint.
Chavez says he has a trove of “unfinished ideas.” He’s eyeing neighborhoods like Austin that don’t have as many murals as in some other areas.
“I’m trying to learn new styles and new ideas,” Chavez says. “There’s more to come.”