It has been a canvas for creative opposition to oil drilling, an Angel-winged Instagram destination and, of course, a home. And on the recent Memorial Day holiday, it became a place to thank veterans, and remind the community of the enduring value of their service.
The latest offering at the 17th Street Mural House was completed Monday, with State Sen. Ben Allen putting the finishing touch on the words “Eres Hermosa,” Spanish for “You are Beautiful.” The words sit at the trough of a breaking wave, a swirl of colors and stars evoking the American Flag.
Local artist and photographer Paul Roustan painted the mural over the course of five days. It was the first mural Roustan, an acclaimed body painter known for works like “Painted Ladies of the South Bay.” He had his doubts about whether he would be able to make the jump to a giant stucco canvas, but couldn’t resist an appeal from Mural House owner Betsy Ryan.
“I don’t do murals, and I didn’t really care to, but I love Betsy,” Roustan said.
The idea stemmed from Ryan’s work advocating on behalf of veterans. She recently brought forward a proposal to the Hermosa Beach City Council to provide parking placards for military veterans that would allow them to park for free near the beach.
A growing body of evidence indicates that ocean therapy is an effective means of helping veterans who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. This seemed especially urgent, Ryan said, when statistics indicate that an average of 22 veterans commit suicide every day. Roustan, who has also worked as a designer, included a 22 in the mural’s bottom left corner. The first “2” is painted backwards, so that the two numbers appear to form a heart; the gold tone of paint makes it look like a medal that might be pinned on the uniform of a service member.
Ryan was impressed with this aspect of the mural, while also approving of its immersive qualities.
“I like the way it makes you feel like you want to get tubed!” she said.
Ryan would ultimately like the mural design to be replicated on the parking placard for veterans. City Council members appeared receptive to the program, and forwarded it on to City Attorney Michael Jenkins for consideration. But after some research, Jenkins concluded that a distinct city program was likely precluded by an existing program in the state Vehicle Code, which allows select veterans with state-issued license plates to park for free at meters.
Not to be deterred, Ryan mentioned her idea to Sen. Allen during a recent hike he hosted in Palos Verdes. Allen came by the mural Monday afternoon, helping finish the “Eres Hermosa” slogan, and said that his office would look into state legislation that could allow Hermosa to implement the program.
“If there is anything the state is doing to tie the hands of a city on something like this, then we should get it fixed,” Allen said.
Several veterans passed by the mural Monday afternoon, and offered their support for the project. Among them was Lt. Mark Vlasic of the U.S. Army Reserve, who was in town for a board meeting of Kinecta Federal Credit Union.
“I think it’s fantastic — being on the beach, celebrating veterans, making them feel like they have a place here,” Vlasic said.
