SAN ANGELO, Texas — Paintbrush Alley Market Days was held last weekend in downtown San Angelo, giving vendors the opportunity to come out and display their handmade creations, while hoping the community would see their potential in the business industry.
Many activities were offered for children of all ages to participate in and food vendors offered their different wares.
Paintbrush Alley was originally created in March 2019, and has been the spot for Art in Uncommon Places for many years.
One Angelo State University student was found reflecting on her artwork that was just completed. Chantel Castaneda is an art major at ASU. She and her classmates made an entire mural come to life, inspired by an artist who drew hidden icons within paintings.
Castaneda's icon is a hidden house sparrow. She said she painted the sparrow to honor her grandfather, who died from cancer last year.
"My icon is the house sparrow so I included three of them and the reason why I chose the house sparrow is to honor my late grandfather. So he passed on last year due to cancer and it has been really hard. I wanted to continue to pursue a passion that he supported me in and that was my art. So that's why I included this so he is like a part of me in a way," Castaneda said.
This particular mural took several weeks to complete and the majority of the art was being worked on during scheduled class time. At times, Castaneda found it became difficult with the beaming sun and high winds, but managed to put all of that aside and see the brighter side of things.
Castaneda leaves a big message to anyone who is wanting to pursue their career in art:
"Don't fall into what negativity people tell you. Like if someone says 'You're not going to make any money or you are not going to have a career out of it.' That's false. I have seen so many people just pursue their passion and it has rewarding results and to me that is worth it in the end. You should just do what you love because you are only here once, enjoy it while it lasts."
To see the murals, including Castaneda's work, you can visit Paintbrush Alley. It's always open to the public.
