The artist, assisted by Rene Trujillo from California State University, has created two colorful murals on each side of McDowell Road at the overpass of the SR 51. The imagery depicts an aerial view of the prehistoric Hohokam Salt River irrigation system combined with streetscape elements of the surrounding neighborhood and McDowell Road, circa 1950. Roberto Delgado’s murals depict images of ‘50s architecture, the ancient Hohokam irrigation system, and the people who live and work in the city of Phoenix. The resulting painting is abstract in style, filled with secrets that make each visit a new journey. As traffic roars along the SR 51, the brightly colored mural greets passersby with new details that might have been overlooked the first time.
Delgado is used to working in this manner. His mixed media monotypes have been exhibited throughout Los Angeles County for many years. Using his signature bright palette, a little mystery is the key to his success as an artist. Between the layers of imagery and color, his goal is to leave the viewer looking rather than providing all of the visual information in one sitting.
Delgado has said that the thrill of working on a mural is in the audience: “It’s more accessible to the public. Not on an intellectual level – I’m not talking about easy to read – just accessible in their day to day activities, as opposed to a museum or gallery system, which is theoretically accessible but isn’t”. In addition to his work with the city of Phoenix, Roberto Delgado has created murals in Mexico City, Southern Mexico, Los Angeles, and Spain.| About the Artist Roberto Delgado studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Rome, Italy, and earned a B.F.A. and an M.F.A. from the University of California, Los Angeles. His murals can be seen in Mexico, Nicaragua, Spain, and throughout the United States.
