Definitely Something Beautiful

her heart was filled with joy.”
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Campoy and Howell write with precision and clarity. (“The shadows scurried away. Sky blue cut through the gloom.”) They reverently pay tribute to López, whose illustrations, rendered via acrylics on wood, photography, and digital art, bring this story to vibrant life. A closing note about the true story this is based on, complete with photographs, explains how López and his wife, Candice, brought people together in the East Village near downtown San Diego “so that their neighborhood could become a better place for all to live.” They held meetings to share plans and discuss reviving the community through art:
Everyone was invited—police officers, graffiti artists, teachers, single parents, children, homeless people, and more. With the help of many, the Urban Art Trail was born, and volunteers of all ages, races, and walks of life committed themselves to a common goal ….
There’s a lot more in this closing note about this wonderful project. I highly recommend finding a copy to read more. It’s a beautiful, spirited book. In their starred review, Kirkus calls it an “inspiring and wistful message wrapped up in a subtle, thoughtful narrative and lively, beautiful art: simply superb.”
Here are some more spreads.
‘I’m an artist too,’ she told him. He handed Mira a brush. ‘THEN COME ON!'”
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MAYBE SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL: HOW ART TRANSFORMED A NEIGHBORHOOD. Copyright © 2016 by F. Isabel Campoy and Theresa Howell. Illustrations © 2016 by Rafael López. Illustrations used by permission of the publisher, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Boston.
Just read & loved this. The art was stunning! I would have loved to have seen more of the original murals 🙂
[…] Definitely Something Beautiful […]
You can see more of the Urban Art Trail murals at this link:
https://www.facebook.com/maybesomethingbeautiful/