Artist draws inspiration from Central Valley, UC Merced for new downtown mural

A new mural taking shape in a downtown Merced parking lot ties in elements of natural beauty found in the region’s semi-arid landscape.

Painted by Fresno artist Andrea Torres, 35, the mural also features what Torres referred to as a more natural representation of a bobcat, a species native to the state and also serving as a way of highlighting the community’s connection to the nearby University of California, Merced.

Located in a parking lot along West 18th Street, the mural uses an unconventional canvas as it covers three walls that make up a dumpster enclosure.

“I definitely appreciate continuity and like fluidity, so I do try to make sure that they all flow into each other, but they’re also strong enough in technique that they can stand alone,” Torres said. “So I think it’s like a happy medium between those two things to where they do flow if you were to flatten it out, they would match each other. But also, if you were to just take a picture with one, it would stand alone as a mural.”

Torres said the mural is about 85%-90% complete and a process that has been a fairly easy collaboration with the city .

“It was nice being trusted throughout that process as an artist, so I always enjoy that,” she said.

Torres began painting murals in 2016 while teaching a mural club at a Fresno high school. Since then, her work has been featured throughout the Central Valley, including a terra cotta floral design on an electrical box near the intersection of 18th and G streets in Merced. Torres said she also assisted a fellow artist with a mural of hands holding a butterfly that is featured on the UC Merced campus.

Her work is also featured on panels along northbound Highway 99 in the Madera area near the 4th Street exit. Those panels depict the valley’s agricultural roots and feature farm workers and a vineyard.

“So that’s kind of just bringing light to the work that our farmers do around the valley in the weather conditions that we live in,” said Torres.

Torres said she also has work displayed in front of a Madera City College building.

The downtown mural was commissioned through a City of Merced request for proposals. Torres said she submitted a digital mock-up that allowed her to adjust the design based on feedback she received from the city. When creating her murals, Torres said she likes to adapt the design to the area, where it is being placed and its surroundings.

“With UC Merced, I feel like after I worked on that other mural, I got a sense of how much pride Merced takes in having that UC here,” Torres said. “Especially being in the Central Valley, so I knew I wanted to represent that, but then also the nature.”

Torres estimates she has worked about 30-40 hours on the mural so far, including her travel time from Fresno. After completing the mural, she will return to apply a final UV-protective coating in an effort to preserve the paint colors and resist fading.

She said her intention with the mural is to celebrate community pride while tying in the natural valley landscape with the inclusion of the plants and animal.

“Those pieces are what I use to display diversity,” she said.

Overall, Torres said she is happy with the way the mural has taken shape, especially the color scheme she used to represent the local landscape including elements such as lupine flowers, poppies, cacti and other succulents. Seeing a piece of art out in public is a beautiful thing, she added..

Adding color to something like a dumpster enclosure just goes to show what can be done with art. Torres said she hopes that people who take trash to that dumpster are excited to see the mural.

“You’re transforming a place where trash goes,” said Torres. “I think that’s a really beautiful experience.”

This story was originally published June 4, 2025 at 3:00 PM.