(This article was written by Abigail Muniz Garcia and was featured in the March 2025 issue of Explore Harlingen Magazine.)
Splashes of colorful paint cover the windows of Chick-fil-A. A cute grinning cow holding a bouquet of flowers while another cow soars through pink polka-dotted clouds as it holds heart-shaped balloons are just a couple of the illustrations window painter Edna Martinez has done for establishments around the Rio Grande Valley (RGV or Valley) including the Chick-fil-A restaurants in Harlingen.
It took a few years for Martinez, a Brownsville native, to take the leap and go all in. She has been a window-painter for seven years and was able to juggle teaching full-time and painting for five years before deciding to commit to window-painting as a career.
“I decided to go full throttle with it. Ever since then, everyone has been so supportive,” Martinez relates of her experience. “My 8 am to 7 pm is pretty much painting full-time.”
She remembers how as a child, she would doodle and considered herself the creative kid. Martinez recalls pouring her heart and soul into projects by going above and beyond to make them look presentable.
“It almost feels like I’m keeping that child alive in me,” she said of her ability to window-paint as a career.
Much of the work that Martinez has acquired has been through word of mouth. She’s known to some as the “Chick-fil-A window painter,” which is how she got started.
“I do all the Chick-fil-A’s in the Valley … from Brownsville to Rio Grande City,” she said. “I’ve evolved as an artist. Chick-fil-A in Harlingen is the first place that gave me an opportunity to be able to see this as a full-time career. I’m very grateful for that.”
Martinez’s colorful designs adorn the windows of businesses all over the Valley – from pet groomers to dental clinics and restaurants. She describes her style as “very cartoony and very illustrative.”
She has advice for others who are wanting to chase a dream that may seem out of reach or challenging.
“My advice would be that they have the power of choice. We can say in this country that we have the ability to shape our lives and choose our path, so create a life that you are going to be happy with,” she said.
She remembers experiencing moments of doubt before taking the leap of faith and becoming a full-time artist.
“I think I wanna do something different,” Martinez said she thought at the time. “I wanna give it a shot. It was scary.”
Martinez has also illustrated for local authors including a children’s book called “Ito Mr. Rabbit & Me” written by Monica Michelle Valdez-Villarreal and “Gary the Responsible Rabbit Presents Being Honest” by Mike Gonzalez.
As for her future, she has big plans.
“I do want to evolve as an artist, I do want to have a brand,” she said. “That’s my goal for this year, is to establish something. I want to create my own characters, children’s book, coloring books, in order to create a sustainable brand… something that is timeless.”
To view Martinez’s art, you can follow her on Instagram @ednamtz.design or on Facebook as Edna Martinez Design.
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