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 Visitors to Moab’s Building, Planning, Engineering and Zoning office, 115 W. 200 South, have something to occupy themselves while waiting for their appointments. A mural installed on one of the interior walls last spring contains “hidden figures” embedded in the painting, which also includes familiar landscapes and a hillside of tiny houses.
“It’s fun to look for those – It’s a very detailed mural,” Moab arts and special events director Kelley McInerney said.
To paint the mural the city hired Tamar Phillips, the artist liaison at Moab Made, a shop that features artwork by local artists and artisans, at 82 N. Main St. Phillips is known for her small, detailed drawings on rocks and wood. She also creates digital drawings as a way to reproduce and publish her work.
“My passion is bugs, flowers, nature, red rocks, arches,” Phillips said. “Creating a mural is a whole new thing for me.”
Bradia Holmes is an artist who specializes in drawing tiny houses – inspired by her travels in Mexico, Nicaragua and Columbia where it’s common to see neighborhoods of small dwellings covering steep hillsides.
Phillips invited Holmes to collaborate on the mural where her tiny houses are layered with Phillips’ landscape scenes – including depictions of the La Sal Mountains in the background. Look close and you’ll also see drawings of rock formations found in Arches National Park.
The mural’s base colors are done in matte interior wall paint, while line work and fine details are made with acrylic markers, referred to as “paint pens.” There are a lot of “hidden details” in the mural – including desert animals, cactus, lizards, unicorns, and even a skateboard. 
“I think it’s great,” said Barry Ellison, city building official. “It was a big blank wall with nothing on it.”
In October, the city’s Moab Arts department put out a call for artists to submit their ideas and designs for next year’s public art installations. Deadline to apply is November 16.
“This year we’re looking for new and different locations to have more art up and around town,” said associate arts director Christina Wightman. “It’s a super cool program.”
“We ask for ideas, a proposal or mock-up, a budget, images of past work – we try and make it as accessible as possible,” Wightman said. “This year we’re looking for a dark sky-themed mural.”
Those who are interested in submitting an idea for public art can email: marcadmin@moabcity.org
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