A beautiful girl and beautiful flowers now liven up Theater Alley! A mural on the north wall of Rogue Gallery and Art Center has recently been completed by local artist Ryan Moon.
“The subject matter has to do with gratitude for living here in Southern Oregon,” said Ryan.
Ryan drew his inspiration for the mural from his passion for portrait artistry and the natural beauty of the Rogue Valley. “Among my favorite things to paint are portraits, so I wanted to incorporate a little of that in the mural,” said Ryan. While he used a friend for a model, the girl in the mural is just a girl depicted as showing her appreciation. “The flower in the middle is a trillium flower that is native to this area and one of my favorite flowers,” added Ryan.
Fellow muralists, Ryan’s wife Janice Moon (Wings on Over Easy) and Adrian Chavez (The Trumpet Player in Middleford Alley), helped with the painting, as they often do with each other’s mural designs.
Ryan is a graduate of South Medford High School and the former Southern Oregon Art Academy in Grants Pass, where he taught for six years. He has been into art his whole life and has been a full-time artist for 10 years. He presently has a studio above Root Jewelers.
The Medford Public Art Selection Committee, which is part of the City’s Parks and Recreation Department, is responsible for deciding what murals will be painted in downtown. “Hopefully, they will select more sites to do more murals and get more local artists involved. I would love to thank the City of Medford, the Rogue Gallery, and the community for all their support,” added Ryan.