HANDLE WITH CARE

BRYAN VALENZUELA
(St. Helena, CA)

For time immemorial, art has served varying key functions in the development of humanity as a whole. From the ashen walls of subterranean caves to the well-lit halls and populated streets of contemporary spaces, it has been a bridge beyond the barrier of culture and continent. It has been a visual chronicle of both time and space, a representation of the seen and the unseen alike, in expression of all the colors on the spectrum of emotion and intuition, and sometimes, just sometimes, a vision of what could or should come to pass.

My vision for the proposed mural encompasses a central focus on this latter sentiment while weaving in elements of the others, distilling complexity down into an essence of something reaching towards iconic yet layered enough to speak beyond its simple form. Here I've brought to  life a common graphic sign seen in packing known as the “Handle with Care” symbol. Two hands rise from the bottom of the frame to cradle a delicate object, protecting it from harm while in transit. Inspired by the quotes above, I've used this symbol in connection with our civilization’s collective and sacred duty to care for the environment we share; to hold an awareness of our impact on the land and all the varied forms of life that surround us. For me this is a deeply spiritual gesture that acts far beyond any specifically held belief system. It is one which I firmly feel that we as a society can and should prioritize as a fundamental guiding principle; to understand the precious nature of this beautiful world and move into a more balanced and harmonious future accordingly.

To illustrate this concept I've chosen to use the Rose as a unifying motif set inside a vast Bay Area landscape. The Rose is a timeless symbol of the transient nature of existence, its beauty but also its fragility. It is the mythic flower of the soul and the center of love itself. This classic bloom is also a  hidden allusion to one of San Rafael's most famous residents, the Grateful Dead, whose main office headquarters was located downtown for much of their storied career. The coastal bay landscape is mirrored in two panels: one portraying bright,blue skies on a sunny California day (left) and the other, that same landscape on a clear, star filled night (right). Each of the Classical Elements is here represented on Earth in the rolling hills, Water in rippling bay tides, Air in the clouds-strewn skies, and Fire in the abstracted, reflective gold/silver shapes descending from above, representing the flow of Solar/Lunar energies into our environment. The abstract shapes are inspired by the complex path of a Torus, the flowing and circular path taken in the creation of a magnetic field. These same shapes and concepts are used again as the abstracted climbing vines of the Rose motif, rising from its roots in the San Rafael soil.

All the portions of the mural are meant to be painted in full color with high quality Exterior Acrylic Paint except for the Hands Figures. These will be drawn in black and white with Exterior Acrylic Markers using a specific handwritten text technique that carves shape, shadow, and light from different densities of words. Within these figures will be inscribed memories and metaphors, philosophies and poems in conversation with the concepts of the image itself, transforming thought to image through the word. This aspect of the work melts into the figure at a distance but when recognized, invites a closer look and fresh perspective upon repeated viewing. Examples of this technique can be seen in past work via www.bryanvalenzuela.com

Entitled Handle With Care, this mural is a communal hope for the future, enacted in the present moment and built upon a foundation of gratitude in recognition of an ancestral past.