New artwork is coming to Lehigh Portland Trails this spring.
Kansas City artists Isaac Tapia and Rodrigo Alvarez, aka IT-RA Icons, will paint the piece “Serene Flight” on the privacy wall running along the connector trail.
Tapia and Alvarez won a design contest sponsored by Thrive Allen County, where their piece was selected from among several impressive works.
Originally from Mexico City, at age 9 Isaac Tapia immigrated to Kansas City, and has lived there ever since.
He first attended a magnet school for the arts, then went on to take classes at the Kansas City Art Institute. A high school teacher once told him he was a poor painter and should stick to drawing, but Tapia only took the observation as a challenge.
He’d been working as a valet parking cars when Rodrigo “Rico” Alvarez asked if he’d be interested in helping him paint a mural at a school. (Alvarez had quit his job as a mechanic and was on the hunt for something more fulfilling.)
Tapia and Alvarez’ first piece was a hit, and before long they were doing a steady stream of projects, completing 30 murals in the first two years.
Granted, the going was slow at first. Tapia laughed as he explained how they would knock on peoples’ doors, saying “hey, looks like you have a nice wall. Want a mural?”
During the pandemic, work has been slow as well, which is one reason why Tapia and Alvarez jumped at the chance to design something for Lehigh.
As for the piece itself, Tapia explained how “Serene Flight” took shape.
He noted how Alvarez is “the line guy,” whereas he is “the color guy,” and added that they often have to do local research for projects of this kind.
Tapia said most works they’ve composed used spray paint as their medium, but the duo sometimes will use brushes if requested. (They finish things off with a special anti-graffiti protectant.)
“We try to merge both our styles together,” he said. For instance, on “Serene Flight,” Alvarez did the fine, precise linework and Tapia added bright colors and other visual elements.
Tapia said Alvarez also happens to love bridges and nature, whereas he loves portraits and figures.
Those figures the mural will feature are significant, since “butterflies are a very important symbol for us,” said Tapia, “they represent migration.” Monarchs also journey back and forth from north to south, crossing borders without restriction.
The meadowlark is of course not only a key symbol for Kansas, but Tapia added that singing birds are images of peacefulness and reflection.
He noted, though, that at the end of the day the subject matter for a given mural is really about designing an image that’s appropriate for a given community. He and Alvarez relish artistic license, but understand that public art is about dialogue.
As for our own community, Tapia said he hadn’t spent much time in southeast Kansas, but was looking forward to it.
He said he accidentally discovered Allen County and Thrive’s contest while looking around Facebook, and said he was pleasantly surprised to see such a project.
This is especially the case since, as he explained, when painting outdoors “we try to get as far away from the city as possible.”
Tapia said he and Alvarez haven’t set a specific date to begin the artwork, but plan to check out the wall in person before beginning to paint in either April or May.
He also said he’s excited about the prospect of residents coming by to check things out as he and Alvarez work, and they’re even invited to chip in with a few brushstrokes of their own.
Tapia noted that he loves to teach people about art, and to help them understand its importance. He also said he wants to make art more accessible to folks who might not have the financial means or academic training to enjoy it.
In the meantime, Tapia and Alvarez are just thankful that they get to make art for Allen County and anyone who hits the trails.
“I’m excited to get there and start painting,” he said.
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