SoCal Artist, Dunn-Edwards Score Big with Colorful Soccer Mural

Nestled next to the San Bernardino Soccer Complex (SBSC) in San Bernardino, Calif., is a colorful new mural by artist Ashley Kay. Commissioned by Hummel USA to paint this 70-foot art piece, Kay has created a distinctively colorful mural that promotes soccer and teamwork to the complex’s many visitors and passersby.

Kay faced several challenges when designing and painting the mural. “Originally, the mural Hummel bought for the SBSC was only supposed to be 36 feet with 10, 9-foot pillars but when I got there and saw the wall they had chosen faced another wall, I thought why not take advantage of the 70-foot wall that faces the
street to attract more people? It seemed like an impossible feat for two people to get it done in only 13 days but I enjoy a challenge and knew it would not only be worth it for the company but the community. Insanely enough, we were able to finish it within two hours of the revealing!”

She also faced several other challenges. “There were so many other challenges along the way,
too, like the 105-degree weather in San Bernardino that would dry up the paint if we left it out for even more than five minutes, as well as the winds that threatened to blow the paint right off our paint brushes and all over the surrounding areas... It was definitely a problem but every failure lead to another success, and we couldn't be happier with the turnout.”

Dunn-Edwards Color Palette

Color was key to the creation of the mural, and Kay relished designing the perfect color palette. “I can't tell you how long we tore apart our paint sample books looking for the perfect color matches to my original design. After finding the closest paints after straining our eyes against the computer and then up against a UV light and then in regular light, we finally found them and the moment of truth came after the first coats of the Splish Splash and Seafoam gradient were applied on the first pillar... Ah! They were so perfect!”

Ashley Kay

Born into a creative household, Ashley Kay honed many of her artistic skills by watching and working with her mother, interior designer Tamra Kay. “My mom was the one who sat with me and introduced the idea to ‘color
in the lines’ on her unused space plans.” She eventually graduated with a BFA in Biomedical Illustration from California State University, Long Beach, which helped her gain confidence and hone her artistic craft.

Since graduation, Kay partnered with her mother’s firm, Tamra Kay Interior Design, on her first large-scale project for Mesa Water in Costa Mesa, Calif. She was hired to design and paint artwork for the whole building. And now, with the completion of the SBSC art piece, she is looking forward to working on two more murals for the complex.

To learn more about Ashley Kay, visit the following sites:

Instagram: @ashleykayart; FB: facebook.com/ashleykayart; Twitter: @ashleykayart

To learn more about Tamra Kay Interior Design, email tkintdes@pacbell.net.

All images by Ashley Kay