(This article was written by Steven Hughes and was featured in the November 2024 issue of Explore Harlingen Magazine.)
Fall is truly in the Rio Grande Valley (RGV), with blistering heat feeling like a distant dream — a nightmare for others. Any RGV resident knows the dangers of the near triple-digit heat that plagues the region. The National Weather Service in Brownsville reported McAllen hit a high of 99 degrees, and Harlingen hit a high of 98 degrees during July. Although we all feel the stress from the heat, those working outside face risks of heat-related ailments, such as Harlingen artist Leo Rivera.
His work can take him outside to transform whatever city he’s in into a place of culture and arts. He’s a mural artist, completing a mural at Loaves & Fishes of the RGV, revealed on August 29. It features organic movement of branches with warm and cool tone leaves on the branches or flowing around them, with depths of shadows and highlights showing off Rivera’s technique with spray paints and house paint used for his murals. At the center is a burning bush that references the bush Moses saw in the Bible, glowing beautifully with reds, oranges, and yellows. On top of the bush is a cross that reads, “Come unto me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.”
Thankfully for Rivera, this mural was inside, as Augusts in RGV typically have little to no relief from the summer heat.
“There have been days where I pushed it too hard, and I’ve almost fainted out there,” Rivera said. “The heat can be unbearable.”
An artist for years, his love for mural art started in high school as he accumulated experiences with oil painting and graffiti art. After gaining his art degree in Colorado and doing some murals there, he enjoyed being his own boss. Now, he has produced more than 50 murals in and out of Harlingen.
Alongside the challenges of the intense heat during his summer work, creating beautiful art for the public’s eye is expensive because he has to purchase all the colors he’d need since spray paints don’t blend as easily as oil paints. Sometimes, he might not have the color he needs, noting spray paints can cost between $10 and $11.
Although his love for mural painting remains steadfast, he wants to slow down and return to his roots with a stretched canvas and oil paints. He explained the murals are tasking on his body, especially when painting uneven walls nearly 100 feet wide and tall. He hopes to participate in other art activities to hone his studio art techniques.
To see more of his work or hire him for a commission, you can contact Leo on his Facebook page (@leosmurals) or Instagram (@leos_murals).
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