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 Frank Matranga, "Pony Express," ceramic tile mural (one of seven), Escondido, CA Sears store (now torn down), 1970.  Frank Matranga, "Pony Express," ceramic tile mural (one of seven), Escondido, CA Sears store (now torn down), 1970.  Frank Matranga, "Pony Express," ceramic tile mural (one of seven), Escondido, CA Sears store (now torn down), 1970. |
Sometimes the good guys win. Well, maybe not win, but they sure don't lose. This is one of those stories. One with a happy ending. Well, maybe not totally happy, but a lot better than sad. It started a long time ago. . . . Frank Matranga has been a ceramic artist for over forty years. He attended California State University, Los Angeles with hopes of becoming a teacher. Unfortunately, the host of jobs that he dreamed of choosing from never materialized. He was offered one job teaching at a high school. That is the good news. The bad news was that it was teaching ceramics about which he knew nothing. So, Frank quickly took a summer class in ceramics to prepare for his new job. He had found his calling. He fell in love with clay. He quickly changed his major and finished his Masters in Art. He later studied for a year at the University of Southern California, where he honed his skills. In 1961 he opened his first studio in Redondo Beach and continued to teach in the Los Angeles Community College system until 1980, when he was able to devote his energies full time to his art. A lot of life is being in the right spot at the right time and being able to capitalize on the opportunities. This is where our tale gets fun. It begins with a ceramic student of Frank’s who was an associate at Robert Clements Associates. This architectural firm designed stores for Sears. His student mentioned to him that they were designing a new building which included ceramic murals in the interior and thought he should submit designs for the commission. Frank was one of a number of artists who interviewed for the project. However, the firm loved his concepts and art, so he was awarded the contract. With $10,000 to start the project, he took a leave of absence from teaching and hired three of his former students as assistants. The first step was to buy the 38 tons of clay that the job would require. He then rented out a tile company so they could create the tiles and fire them. Frank was to create seven murals, each 20 by 30 feet, and each celebrating part of the history of San Diego and Escondido, where the store was to be constructed. First a slab of clay was laid out on the floor in the size of the finished panel. Then the team of artists sculpted the design in the clay. When completed, the panel was cut into approximately 12 by 15 inch sections to be fired. The artist was careful in his cutting to have the sections follow the natural contours of the designs, so that visitors would not notice lines in the completed mural. It took a year to finish the seven panels. |
| The thousands of fired tiles were finally installed in Sears in 1970 by a professional tile company to insure that the sections were aligned perfectly. The seven panels depicted the first church and school in Escondido; the Pony Express delivering the mail; Mission San Diego and Father Serra; Sailing in Mission Bay; Juan Cabrillo landing at San Diego Bay; The Palomar Observatory; and the Battle of San Pasqual. Unfortunately, the Sear's building was sold in the late 1970s to Fedco, which destroyed three of the murals: the first church and school in Escondido; the Pony Express delivering the mail; and Mission San Diego with Father Serra. Fedco then went out of business and Home Depot bought the building, announcing plans to level it and build a new store. That was when citizens mobilized to save the four remaining murals. It is often said that no one in Southern California cares about preserving our heritage; but this is one case where just the opposite is true. Rob James negotiated with the Alamo Group (Home Depot's parent company) who sold him the four murals for a nominal fee. The publicity that had been generated was so powerful that the company stopped their construction plans until the murals were safely down. They will be stored by Home Depot until a new permanent home is found. Currently two of the murals are on display in James’ Architectural firm's offices. The City of Escondido is looking for a home for the other two. It is a happy resolution to an almost tragic story: four of the seven murals were saved by the diligence of concerned citizens. And. . . .Frank was just asked to create a 7 by 16 foot mural to commemorate the Battle of San Pasqual. By the way, you can see more of Frank Matranga's ceramic murals in these Los Angeles Public Libraries: City of Diamond Bar, La Cañada, West Gardena, La Verne, Marina Del Ray, and View Park in Baldwin Hills. |
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Pomona is attracting a growing number of artists, many fleeing the high rents in Los Angeles and settling in the downtown Arts Colony. Out in the community muralist Pedro Pelayo is transforming local parks with his vibrant multicultural murals full of children playing and dreaming of a fulfilling future.
Pelayo, originally, from San Francisco, began doing murals in East L.A. shortly after moving to southern California in 1977. In 1979 he assisted Bill Butler on “Respect What You See,” a still extant mural of Raza pride across the street from Self Help Graphics. Then in the early 1980s he spent about a year working with young residents of the William Mead Homes on a mural that featured an image of the Virgin of Guadalupe along with dramatic scenes showing the consequences of drugs and violence. In 1986 Pelayo moved to Pomona after graduating from Cal State Long Beach with a degree in illustration. Disillusioned by the difficulty of making a living as an artist while trying to support a family, he spent the next 12 years driving a truck. Finally in 1998, he was ready to get back into murals. |
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He approached the City of Pomona Recreation Department and was soon painting a mural at Westmont Park. With support from local city councilperson Christina Carisoza, Pelayo next did a mural at Washington Park and is currently finishing his third at Philadelphia Park. He is hoping to add a teaching component to his work so that he can better involve local youth.
In the near future, the Mural Conservancy will be offering a closer look at the murals in the Pomona area with a tour of Pomona, Claremont, Upland and the City of Hope. Watch for news of this new tour. |
