Cheyne, Crisselle, and Cynthia have come together as a trio and strive to bring the community of Pomona together through the refreshment of three buildings and surrounding structures located at Palomares Park. Their goal is to create vibrant illustrations of flora, fauna, and community on these walls to reflect what makes the community strong and special. These fun and narrative visuals will invite the community to come together and explore these art pieces and walk through the story together. Folks will be able to not only see playful illustrations of nature coming together as a sense of community, but will also see representation painted on these walls and be reassured with the sense of belonging and welcoming.
La Casita community center is surrounded by vibrant and colorful illustrations that depict a sense of community through different flora and fauna co-existing and working together. From bees buzzing throughout the local flowers to a trail of ants carrying leaves across branches, folks will be able to feel a sense of unity and community shining from this building.
The Concession stand aims to bring the theme of healthy natural snacking with oranges and apples as the main course. Characters, human and insects, are seen to be excited to eat these snacks, along with the continuing flora and fauna that can be see from the other buildings.
The Entryway continues to echo the flora and fauna, cheerfully welcoming visitors to the park with a mix of bright colors and serene calmness.
Along with this park refresh, there will be creative workshops for the community led by our experienced teaching artists. These workshops will feature fun, hands-on crafts and art projects that will bring folks together of all ages. Members of the community will also engage in painting alongside the artists and help paint part of the mural!
Crisselle Mendiola
IG: @crissellem
Crisselle is a muralist and designer based in Santa Ana, CA. She has a colorful artistic background, ranging from public projects with Google/American Express and the National Fitness Campaign, live painting as an honored guest at Harvard University, and collaborating with clients like Converse and Behr Paints. Crisselle has also been a featured artist for the international mural festival POW!WOW! Long Beach and POW!WOW! Hawaii. She aims to represent girls who may not see themselves in other forms of media, and wants them to give them a sense of feeling seen through her unique character stylization. Crisselle graduated from CSULB with a B.F.A in Illustration.
Cheyne Ellett
IG: @ellettcheyne
Cheyne is a multidisciplinary visual artist who lives and works in Pomona. Cheyne is influenced by the local imagery and music culture he encountered around him while growing up in the city of Pomona. Cheyne was selected as one of the k-rail artists in the city of Pomona’s pilot public art program in the winter of 2020. Cheyne is focused on the concepts of fragmented identity, social systems/structures, power dynamics, survival mechanisms, and personal growth. Cheyne was a first generation college student who graduated from CSULB with a B.F.A in Illustration.
Cynthia Nava
IG: @cynthianavaart
Cynthia is a published bilingual children’s book illustrator from South Central LA who loves to create bright and lively art pieces. Her favorite thing to illustrate is cute animals and playful characters. Her goal is to evoke warmth and happiness to those who come across her work. She is often inspired by her Mexican roots and sprinkles in a bit of her culture in her works. She is currently a teaching artist for a non-profit organization serving students in the greater Los Angeles area. Cynthia is a proud first generation college graduate from CSULB where she earned her B.F.A in Illustration.
Download an extensive project proposal pdf below.
