Designers in our Graphics Lab recently completed a set of custom-designed murals for the newly opened location of Rojo Mexican Grill in Downtown Minneapolis. Graphic Design senior apprentice Patricio De Lara designed two murals inspired by Mexican history and iconography. The first mural, the larger of the two and printed on vinyl, is installed in the main dining area of the restaurant. De Lara digitally designed the second mural and hand-painted it in the staircase leading up to the restaurant’s second floor with help from Graphics Lab Lead Greta Kotz.
De Lara, Mexican-born himself, pulled inspiration from a number of sources to create the pair of complementary decorative pieces:
Creating these two murals for Rojo Mexican Grill was extremely fulfilling, both creatively and culturally. I was born in Mexico, and I thoroughly enjoyed the research phase to produce this work in which I took into consideration the client’s needs while also paying homage to the rich culture that my home nation has to offer. This is also the first mural I have painted by hand; I was able to get my hands dirty and learn to replicate something that I created into a large-scale format. This offered lessons that I will carry in my work moving forward.
Both murals are on view now in the newly-opened Rojo Mexican Grill at 921 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis, MN 55402.