Earlier this week at Balderama Park in Oceanside, artist Paul Jimenez of GroundFloor Murals was on a ladder close to a cement wall with cans of spray paint, creating his latest mural.
After a few days of work, a mural of the late Chargers star and NFL Hall of Famer Junior Seau could be seen by anyone visiting the park.
"It's Junior Seau," said a smiling Jimenez as he put the finishing touches on the mural of the Oceanside icon.
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Seau grew up in Oceanside and went on to play for the San Diego Chargers, before taking his own life in 2012 at the age of 43.
Jimenez has done murals all over San Diego but said it was important to do a Seau mural in Oceanside at Balderama Park.
"Just to know that this is the park he grew up in. I'm being greeted by people who knew him personally and grew up with him," the artist said.
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Joanne Tawfilis is an Oceanside resident and artist. Tawfilis knew Seau and said seeing the mural was an emotional experience.
"When I saw Paul working on this, tears came because I can feel Junior. I can hear him. It made my heart burst," Tawfilis said.
If the goal of art is to make people feel, consider this goal achieved.
"I got that tingling, chilly feeling with bumps on my arms because I feel like Seau is going to walk off that wall," Tawfilis said.
Seau's mural is part of a bigger art project that is taking place in Oceanside.
Measure X was created by the city of Oceanside's Neighborhood Outreach Services Department to fund and support anti-youth violence, community peace and help prevent graffiti. Oceanside's Art Miles Mural Project is the latest effort from Measure X. It involves painting 28 murals at Balderama Park.
The Seau mural was done by GroundFloor Murals. The other 27 are done by various artists. The artwork has turned the park into a collage of colors.
Tawfilis, who serves as the director of Art Murals Miles Projects, said, "What we have here at the park represents all the cultures from all the different neighborhoods. It started out with two walls. Now, it's an amazing story."
The story of the art and the cultures will hopefully continue around Oceanside with the murals being a vehicle for something bigger.
"It's not about the murals," Tawfilis said. "It's about bringing people together. It's about pride in the community, beautifying the community. No matter what gentrification comes to Oceanside, this is it."
The murals project will officially be unveiled with a ceremony at Balderama Park on Saturday, Dec. 7 from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.
