‘Her passion runs deep’
Pueblo artist’s new mural is latest step toward Guinness World Record
A Pueblo artist who won a mural contest became the latest craftsman to paint a design on the Pueblo Levee Mural Project, giving a boost to local artists’ pursuit to reclaim the Guinness World Record for largest outdoor mural.
Desiree Talmich, a self-taught artist, finished painting her contest-winning mural that’s full of color and Steel City history. Her design was selected as the winner of the city’s mural contest, which sought an image that tells a story about Pueblo’s past and incorporates the five flags from the city seal.
Talmich started working on the mural in October. She painted it intermittently and usually worked on it for four to six hours a day. She finished in early February, ending a process that, for her, started in fall 2022, when she spent weeks researching Pueblo’s history for the design.
She, like many other Pueblo mural artists, painted the mural all by herself. It’s her second mural on the levee.
“She’s such a great self-taught artist,” said Cynthia Ramu, muralist and coordinator for the Pueblo Levee Mural Project. “Her passion runs deep.”
Like several other murals on the levee, color and history are two key fixtures in Talmich’s design. Most of the letters in the design use colors from the French, Spanish, Mexican, Texan and American flags — all nations or territories that claimed land in Pueblo at some point in its history.
The sketch also links to Native American tribes that had ties to the area. Members of the Ute, Arapaho and Jicarilla Apache tribes are depicted as traveling on horseback under the “P” of Pueblo.
Other notable Pueblo events, institutions and pieces of Pueblo history included in the design are El Pueblo Trading Post, the Great Flood of 1921, the steel mill, and the Pueblo Chile &
Frijoles Festival.
Talmich said she may add an eagle and cactus, both of which are on Mexico’s national flag, to the “E” to avoid people confusing that banner with Italy’s national flag. Other than that, she’s pleased with how it turned out and is “overwhelmingly happy” she could contribute “some color” to the community, she said.
“I feel very privileged, honestly, to be the person who did it,” Talmich said. “I think representation is very important, so to have my design chosen, when all I really wanted it to be about is representation, makes me very happy. I’m happy to be a part of it.”
Pueblo’s quest for the Guinness World Record continues
Talmich’s mural is the 14th on the levy with historic ties to Pueblo. More are on the way, as around 10 artists are currently working on their own murals, Ramu said.
This month, Ramu plans to review another five or six submissions submitted by people in Denver and other areas of the state as more and more artists vie to make their mark on the wall. Some artists will help one another design and paint the mural, blending their experiences and knowledge to help the artwork stand out.
There is genuine interest to “create a space for people in our community and southern Colorado to have a voice, no matter who they are or where they came from,” Ramu said.
“People believe in the mission,” she said. “It’s truly about heart and history and being Pueblo proud.”
There’s also a sense of pride among artists to reclaim the world record for the largest outdoor mural. Pueblo lost that record in 2018, but local artists and others are working to recapture the glory that came with Pueblo being home to the world’s most massive work of outdoor art.
It’s partially why Tim Nijenhuis, an experienced mural artist, plans to return to Pueblo in May. He painted a mural on the levee last August and has ideas for another.
The mural’s total square footage was below 100,000 square feet when Nijenhuis finished his first mural. With Talmich completing hers, and works by other artists in progress, Ramu estimates the mural’s total square footage is now over 100,000 — that’s more than halfway to Pueblo’s former record and within the current U.S. mural record, which is 170,000 square feet.
With hundreds of panels left unfilled and no shortage of artists or ideas to fill the space, Ramu predicts it will take up to three years to break that U.S. record as well as the world record.
In the meantime, Ramu said she wants the levee to become a destination for Puebloans and tourists. She and other artists plan to paint some murals near Interstate 25 so commuters can see them while they travel through Pueblo. They also want to connect as many murals as they can to the left of the Fourth Street Bridge.
The hope is that the murals help bring people to the river as they “explore and discover” the area, she said.
“The (mural) really has some heart and soul,” Ramu said.
Chieftain reporter Josué Perez can be reached at JHPerez@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @josuepwrites. Support local news, subscribe to The Pueblo Chieftain at subscribe.chieftain.com.