Margo Mullen
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Success Stories ~ Margo MullenA kelp forest grows in the swimming pool
Between February and June of 2006, Visual and Public Art major Margo Mullen transformed CSUMB's Aquatic Center. For her Senior Capstone, she singlehandedly covered the 100 foot by 16 foot wall of the center with a scientifically accurate mural depicting a kelp forest. Although she did all of the painting herself, the community played an important role in the process.
Margo, originally from Sacramento, spent two years working at the pool as a lifeguard and wanted the mural to be a gift to those who frequent the Aquatic Center. "I wanted it to be a community-based mural, and one community here in Monterey is the kelp forest. Everything in that forest depends on each other. Here at CSUMB, this community, we also rely on each other. I wanted to portray that, especially there at the Aquatic Center."
Most of Margo's prior painting experience took place alone in the studio. At the Aquatic Center, Margo soon discovered what it was like to create art in the midst of that community. "At first I was very nervous because I had never worked around people. In this area there are a lot of divers, a lot of people who hang out in the kelp forest, so it was a little intimidating to do this work in front of them."
Margo went to great lengths to ensure that her painting was an accurate depiction of existence in the Monterey Bay. Although she is a lifelong swimmer, she's never been scuba diving. "I had to learn so much information about this kind of environment." Luckily, Margo's roommate, an Earth Systems Science & Policy major, was always willing to discuss sea life. "She had all these books about fish and invertebrates that I would use to do sketches and watercolors. You have to practice it so many times before you put it on the wall."
When her roommate didn't have the answer, Margo turned to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. The aquarium was also a source of inspiration-several of the fish Margo spotted in the aquarium's tanks found their way into the mural. "The California sheephead was so beautiful I just had to have him. They are all born female, and at about seven years they turn into males. Only the males have the red stripe and the black," explained Margo.
Sometimes it could be challenging to reconcile her vision with the facts. "The tube anemones live on the sandy part. I love these because of the colors and wanted to have just a million of them all over the place. But, realistically, they have to be a couple feet apart in order to get their food-if they were all together they wouldn't be able to survive."
It was a challenging project from the start-on the first day when she was cleaning and prepping the wall, in the rain, the pressure washer ran out of gas. Then she had difficulty moving the scaffolding close enough to reach the top corners. Todd Kruper, the VPA studio tech, helped Margo rig a new top to the scaffolding that was safe and allowed her to get into the tight corners. In the end, it came down to a time crunch. "I really had to start working all day from eight to six, take my lunch, and eat there. It was a little hard, but I got through it."
Ultimately, Margo found that the Aquatic Center community was incredibly supportive and appreciative of her work. "It was a lot of fun. There were so many stages to the wall, and they'd come in and talk about it. People would walk by and say, 'I like this. This is cool!' You start to think, 'Maybe I can make a difference over here. This really is cool."
Margo knew she wanted to pursue art in college and came to CSUMB because of the emphasis on community within the VPA program. "I fell in love with the VPA department-the staff and faculty." Margo is minoring in Communications Design, another avenue for her artistic skills. "I'd like to get a graphics or web job and do my murals at night." Margo has one more year to complete her minor and hopes to stay in the area after graduation. She'd love to continue to paint the CSUMB campus. "Commission me and I will be there!
"I've learned that this is something that I love and I want to pursue, so I'm going try and keep going out here in Monterey, splashing the walls to see what we can get."
Note: The above story was written while Margo was a student. Following her graduation, Margo began a job as a graphic designer with the Salinas design firm TMD Creative. She continues to pursue a painting career and is actively involved in the Monterey and Salinas art communities. Her paintings and digital artwork have been displayed at the Monterey Blues Fest, Sand City's West End Celebration, the CSUMB Alumni & Visitors Center, the Lauren Taylor Gallery of Fine Arts, the Monterey Museum of Arts Arts Lounge, and a special event featuring young local artists in Sand City called Untapped Desires. She is also working on a mural commissioned for the city of Marina.
Margo says "Since graduating I have increased my ties with the Monterey County art community. I have found a strong group of young artists in the area ready to make a change. We are all so eager to create and live our lives as professional artists. I am so stoked to be a part of this community and I am learning everyday as I travel in this journey as a young female artist in Monterey County."
~ Liz MacDonald, Senior Writer/Web Editor
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