SOLEDAD — Soledad Fire Department station continues to receive a colorful upgrade to its newly erected apparatus bay on Monterey Street that was built in June.
The vivid mural, which faces out toward Bill Ramus Park on Soledad Street, depicts faces of a firefighter, police officer, emergency medical technician and a vineyard with farmworkers.
City of Soledad contracted the Arts Council for Monterey County to manage the mural project, which received funding from the City and the County.
Paul Richmond and a team of artists, including Brenda Saglio, were hired to paint the mural. Their work is part of an ongoing campaign called Community Colors that was launched by Richmond and other artists from Open Ground Studios.
“It’s mainly about who do you look to, who takes care of the community,” Saglio said.
Saglio collaborated with Richmond to create the images that were voted in by the community. Both artists, along with Richmond’s friend, Briden Schueren, have been working on the mural every day for the past two weeks.
Community Colors is aimed at putting up colorful murals throughout Monterey County, including Soledad. So, this isn’t the first time Saglio and Richmond have painted the town.
Both artists have murals at Cesar Chavez Park on Front Street and the swimming pool at the Soledad-Mission Recreation District on Walker Drive.
“Pretty soon Soledad will be completely ours,” Saglio said.
