Brick buildings lining both sides of the alley behind Santa Ana’s 4th Street, between Main and Bush streets, have become a canvas for artists to paint murals, including one depicting the history of Santa Ana as envisioned through the eyes and mind of the muralist Moises Camacho.
Every Saturday, Camacho oversees a group of painters as they work on the 20-foot tall, 63-foot wide mural.
Artist Moises Camacho next to one of his completed murals in Santa Ana on Saturday, August 1, 2020. Raul Yanez, president of the Santa Ana Business Council, allows local artists to paint the walls of buildings in the alley behind 4th Street, between Main and Bush. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Artist Anna Nalle paints a mural with acrylics in the alley behind 4th Street, between Main and Bush. Local artists have been painting the drab bricks for a few hours each Saturday. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
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Artist Renee Ortiz refers to a picture of the Lely Venus on her phone as she paints a mural in the alley behind 4th Street, between Main and Bush. Local artists have been painting the drab bricks each Saturday in Santa Ana. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG
The otherwise drab alley in Santa Ana behind 4th Street, between Main and Bush, starts taking on shades of color as local artists paint murals for a few hours each Saturday. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
The otherwise drab alley in Santa Ana behind 4th Street, between Main and Bush, starts taking on shades of color as local artists paint murals for a few hours each Saturday. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Artist Renee Ortiz works on a mural in the alley behind 4th Street, between Main and Bush. Local artists have been painting the drab bricks each Saturday in Santa Ana. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG
Alyssa Nelson of Cypress and Diego Navarro of Long Beach stop to admire the artwork of local artists who were painting murals in the alley behind 4th Street, between Main and Bush in Santa Ana on Saturday, August 1, 2020. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
The otherwise dark alley in Santa Ana will be adorned with colorful murals by local artists behind 4th Street, between Main and Bush. Raul Yanez, president of the Santa Ana Business Council, encourages local artists to paint the walls each Saturday. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
The otherwise dark alley in Santa Ana will be adorned with colorful murals by local artists behind 4th Street, between Main and Bush. Raul Yanez, president of the Santa Ana Business Council, encourages local artists to paint the walls each Saturday. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Artist Moises Camacho looks over his mural depicting Columbian history on Saturday, August 1, 2020 in Santa Ana. Raul Yanez, president of the Santa Ana Business Council, allows local artists to paint on the walls of the alley behind 4th Street, between Main and Bush. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Artist Moises Camacho paints a mural depicting Columbian history in Santa Ana on Saturday, August 1, 2020. Raul Yanez, president of the Santa Ana Business Council, allows local artists to paint on the walls of the alley behind 4th Street, between Main and Bush. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A work in progress by artist Anna Nalle adorns the bricks in the alley behind 4th Street, between Main and Bush. Local artists have been painting the drab bricks each Saturday in Santa Ana. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
The otherwise dark alley in Santa Ana will be adorned with colorful murals by local artists behind 4th Street, between Main and Bush. Raul Yanez, president of the Santa Ana Business Council, encourages local artists to paint the walls each Saturday. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A work in progress by artist Anna Nalle adorns the bricks in the alley behind 4th Street, between Main and Bush. Local artists have been painting the drab bricks each Saturday in Santa Ana. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Artist Renee Ortiz works on a mural in the alley behind 4th Street, between Main and Bush. Local artists have been painting the drab bricks each Saturday in Santa Ana. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG
The mural depicts symbols of Santa Ana’s history and culture, such as jacaranda trees transforming into traditional quinceanera dresses and orange and strawberry pickers with the Santa Ana Mountains as a backdrop.
“We want to create something that is beautiful, and not only beautiful, but has some link with the community,” said Camacho, who previously painted a mural in the same alley and the mural, “Siempre Santa Ana,” at Santa Ana’s Heritage Museum. “Because of that, we started designing the brief history of Santa Ana.”
Camacho also painted the “Mission to Mars and the Red Planet” mural at 3rd and French streets.
The latest mural has no official title yet, Camacho said, but some suggestions have been “Brief History of Santa Ana,” “Viva Santa Ana,” and “Alley of the Kiss.”
The buildings serving as the canvas are owned by Raul Yanez, president of the Santa Ana Business Council, who approached Camacho several years ago about creating murals on his downtown property.
“Sometimes when you talk to private owners and you ask for a wall to paint, they say no,” Camacho said. “I think we need to change that. The main cities of the world, they have murals and they push to have public art in the street. That is what creates the essence of the city. That is what makes the city more interesting.”
Camacho said he hopes the alley, which was once blighted, becomes a local landmark.
“Now it’s someplace that people want to walk in and take a photo … and hang out for a little bit,” Camacho said. “So what I want to do is finish the whole thing and basically beautify the alley.”
Artist Anna Nalle volunteers her time on some Saturdays to contribute to the beautification of the alley.
She was painting Rodin’s iconic “The Kiss” sculpture across the alley from Camacho’s mural – what she is now calling “the alley of love.”
“I want to learn how to paint big and what better place to paint a mural on a wall,” Nalle said. “It’s beautiful and its uplifting and it gets people involved.”
Artist Renee Ortiz has also been volunteering on some Saturdays to work on an alley mural near Camacho’s piece.
Ortiz, who is earning a master’s degree in fine art, said being able to paint alongside Camacho is “incredible for sure.”
“It’s a pretty neat project,” Ortiz said. “We were talking last week about the idea of beautifying the city in this way. It lifts everybody up a little bit. How can I not do this.”
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