Have you seen this mural in Citrus Heights?

By Sara Beth Williams–
A vibrant splash of imagery along a retaining wall greets visitors at the Sunrise Village shopping center near the corner of Sunrise Boulevard and Uplands Way, adding artistic flair to the busy, recently renovated shopping plaza.

Created by artist Jacob Lewis, the mural is one of several murals painted throughout the business corridor within the last few years, according to Sunrise MarketPlace Executive Director Kathilynn Carpenter.

Lewis’s mural begins on a long, low wall beneath a sign that reads “Sunrise Village” and blends together a mix of natural and urban elements against a background of blue and beige.

The artwork begins with bright yellow flowers in a brick planter, then transitions into two large, wavy shapes flowing through the center. Urban elements follow, including free-floating steps leading to a green staircase and another wavy image ending at a curved doorway.

Wrapping around the corner, the mural continues onto a higher wall with a green platform, an upside-down pot of white flowers beneath a bowl of fruit, and yellow floating geometric stepping stones ending at a ladder. More platforms continue, leading to descending, then ascending stairs, amid natural imagery like leaves and surrealist representations of a milkshake, hamburger, and fries.

Several words are incorporated into the artwork, including the word “peace” in green script in the background and the words “Love your Life” in white script. The artwork is framed by tall trees in the background and bushes in the foreground.

Lewis’s drawings and paintings focus on issues he observes in politics and society, according to the Art at SMP website. Lewis uses an assortment of media when painting, including spray paint, acrylic paint, and oil pastels, with oil paint as his primary medium.

There are currently eight murals from seven different artists completed so far throughout the business district. Carpenter said six murals are within the Marketplace at Birdcage, along with a mural on the side wall of Purpose Built across the street from the Citrus Town Center, one mural at the former Togo’s Sandwich shop at Greenback Square, and a large-scale mural on the back wall of PetSmart. Each mural was custom-designed and painted.

Sunrise MarketPlace also participated in SMUD’s Transformer Box Wrap Program to “enhance the aesthetic environment and deter graffiti” by wrapping utility boxes in artwork. The wrapped utility boxes showcase 19th-century artwork, Japanese woodblock, impressionism, abstract artwork, and local contemporary art, according to prior reports.

A map of the locations of all the murals can be seen on the business district’s website, along with a mural photo gallery, a slideshow of utility box artwork, and two different video compilations. Carpenter said property owners, SMP, and the city all chipped in to help fund the murals.

“Murals create a sense of community, beautify spaces, abate graffiti and reduce criminal activity, express historical and cultural identity, and inspire creativity and wonder,” SMP says on its website.