Artist: Angelina Villalobos (website, Instagram)
Location: Alley at 1st between Blanchard & Lenora
Mural Description
Painted during the Belltown Mural Festival 2026.
This is on the backside of the El Rey, which is a project operated by Common Area Maintenance and is in the process of being redeveloped into affordable and artist housing over the next couple years.
One of the things that the Belltown Mural Festival often tries to embody is relationships between the creative community and also the local best interests of the neighborhood itself. So supporting this particular housing project was really on point for us.
In this particular case, the owner of Common Area Maintenance wanted us to work on the mural to create something that activated that facade of the building while he began the work on the inside.
Specifically, the blossoms and berries are of the salal, which was something that was supposed to represent the element of growth, upward growth in particular.
The middle area of the mural is slightly darker to accentuate the window elements in the beginning, in the middle of the facade, to basically dance with the architecture itself.
And one of the most intriguing things about this mural is both conceptually and aesthetically, the mural is designed to be expanded upon while the project continues forward.
So in 2027, Angelina will be invited back to complete this mural, which will go all the way up to the top of the building’s roof height.
Artist Statement
I grew up in these Belltown alleys in the early 90’s and 2000’s, tagging, sticker-bombing, waiting for my mom outside the diners where she waitressed at The Crocodile and Rendezvous. So when the Belltown Mural Festival gave me free rein tied only to the neighborhood’s history, I went back to those memories.
I drew inspiration from the building’s black facade and incorporated it into the design. It became a tree trunk in my mind, with leaves and vines climbing up the side. It became a shadow, centered on the wall and showcasing day and night. We have plans to paint the top part next year, so stay tuned friends!
Map (see murals near me) / Belltown Murals general information