About the Mural

At 2501 Central Avenue, on the NorthWest corner of Central Avenue and 25th Street, a swirling orange, gold and bright blue image of a woman’s head in profile, faces East.

Richly-colored clouds of royal blue hair, sparked with waves of fiery orange, gold and white, dominate the mural, on a small wall that’s part of a restaurant. The mural is 21 feet wide and 13 feet high, crowding up against a wide square window on the left.

Her sculptured face is like a lovely, idealized cartoon, in profile, looking down and toward the right. Glowing orange skin that’s highlighted with gold, moist lips poised to speak, or kiss. Deep eyes outlined in blue, with a bold blue eyebrow raised, questioning, or inviting.

John Suarez - Mural

It’s a quiet, graceful mural, on this busy corner of Central Avenue.

Her wild blue, orange and gold hair blends into abstract, white-hot sunrise colors above the window to her left. Angled orange bands continue along the top edge of the restaurant’s porch.

Her swirling hair rolls onto a low white wooden fence to the left of the mural, making a background for the words “SuarezArt, SHINE 17” in white. Her hair sprawls across the orange and teal bands along the top of the fence, as it wraps around the outdoor seating area. The colors of the mural harmonize with the benches and tables, orange, red and teal, and with the restaurant’s orange doors and the teal rain curtains tucked up around the porch.

A graduate of Ringling College of Art and Design and founder of Bradenton’s “Art in the Park,” John Suarez describes himself as an Illustrator with a focus on Digital Inking and Concept Design. He often paints portraits of women with long swirling hair.

Under the brand, Suarezart, John works in many mediums including painting, sculpting, drawing and digital illustration. John Suarez won the 2017 open call for Bay area mural artists to become part of the SHINE Festival.