By Sara Beth Williams–
Thanks to grants from the city and other sources, several murals now grace the walls of the Sunrise MarketPlace business district in Citrus Heights, including a large mural spanning one of the walls of PetSmart.
The “destination” mural was painted by artist Jon Hamrick, during a Wide Open Walls mural festival, according to Wide Open Walls Founder David Sobon.
The mural, which spans the back wall of PetSmart on Sunrise Boulevard, features the head of an eagle, a Fibonacci Spiral, and “DESTINATION” in all caps against a backdrop of black, blue, violet, red, orange and yellow stripes that resemble a sunset.
“Its title and eagle imagery represent strong hope of future of culture for the city, while representing the beauty in nature that surrounds us and what we must do to protect it for future generations,” Sobon said in an email to The Sentinel, adding that the location for the mural was chosen for its visibility in a prime business district, and high visibility along the Arcade-Cripple Creek bike path that is currently under construction.
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According to Fibonacci.com, the Fibonacci sequence of numbers following a curved angle creates a spiral, which can be seen in multiple natural phenomena such as hurricanes and galaxies. The Fibonacci spiral is commonly incorporated in art and architecture.
Sobon said that the design focused on the “eye for the future” and took Hamrick one month to complete. The artist dedicated the mural to his father, who passed around that time.
Hamrick has painted multiple murals throughout California, and photos of his art can be seen on his Instagram page, including an aerial view of the destination mural.
Wide Open Walls was first conceived in 2016 as the Sacramento Mural Festival. According to the nonprofit’s website, Wide Open Walls promotes “diversity through artistic expression.”
Hamrick’s mural is among several that were painted in 2021 and 2022 in the Sunrise MarketPlace, according to previous Sentinel reports.
