Street artist hosts mural-painting workshop

The previously plain wall outside Leonardo’s 706 was covered in green, orange and blue paint Friday afternoon.

Led by Andrew Pisacane, a street artist known as Gaia, about 20 students and Gainesville residents learned about murals by painting one themselves.

The UF School of Art and Art History organized the workshop in partnership with 352walls, a Gainesville urban art program celebrating its second season this year.

By 3 p.m., the students painted a pattern of hands holding oranges amid green leaves.

“Everyone wants to speak on a 12-story scale,” Pisacane said. “Not everyone gets to do it.”

The 28-year-old has made a career out of it, known locally for the mural he painted downtown as part of 352walls and for other murals in St. Petersburg, Russia, and New York City.

Pisacane said UF paid him to teach a pair of workshops, the first of which took place Thursday. Workshops with other artists are scheduled to take place through the end of October and throughout November, according to the 352walls website.

The money Pisacane earned, he said, was used to organize a panel Tuesday night during which international artists and activists talked about the cultural importance of street murals.

Although the mural will soon be painted over, Pisacane said he hoped students learned about the skills and state of mind necessary to create more meaningful art in the future.

For him, painting murals isn’t simply about using proper brush strokes; it’s about creating something a community can connect with.

His downtown mural, titled “What Are the Aesthetics of Reinvestment,” depicts gentrification of the Porters Quarters, a historically African-American neighborhood in Gainesville. To ensure the mural would be well-received, he spoke with local residents and activists before painting it.

After about an hour of teaching techniques on the Leonardo’s 706 wall, he split the students into three groups: spray paint, brushes and rollers.

“Use your initiative to f--- around and put paint on the walls,” he said to the students.

For Ciera Merritt, a UF visual art studies junior, it wasn’t that simple.

“Painting is not my strong suit,” she said.

Still, the 20-year-old shook a can of spray paint, pressed down and started moving her hand along the white wall.

“I’m just trying to push out of my comfort zone,” she said.

Workshops

David Zayas: Friday at Leonardo’s 706

Elbow Toe: Nov. 18, location TBD

Mural painting

David Zayas: Now to Nov. 8 at Leonardo’s 706

Elbow Toe: Nov. 14 to Nov. 20, location TBD

To register for workshops, contact econnelly@arts.ufl.edu.