![\"Artist](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/ljl-l-ampersand-mural-2.jpg\")
Artist Matt Rich created the new mural \u201cAmpersand\u201d for the Murals of La Jolla program. (Victoria Fu)<\/p>\nThe latest installation in the Murals of La Jolla program seeks to embrace the power of \u201cand.\u201d<\/p>\n
Both in its imagery and the process to make it, \u201cAmpersand\u201d by Matt Rich encourages viewers to consider expanded ways of looking at things.<\/p>\n
The public mural was installed Sept. 30 at 7744 Fay Ave., replacing Marcos Ramirez ERRE\u2019s \u201cTo Reflect the Times.\u201d<\/p>\n
The new mixed-media image is inspired by an ampersand \u2014\u00a0the grammatical symbol for the word \u201cand\u201d \u2014 with several layers of different materials under and around the main focal point.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith \u2018Ampersand,\u2019 Matt Rich transforms the wall adjacent to a busy pedestrian walkway into a vibrant site of color, movement and connection, perfectly aligned with Murals of La Jolla\u2019s mission to bring world-class, site-specific art into public life,\u201d according to Murals of La Jolla Executive Director Taylor Chapin. \u201cMurals of La Jolla is all about turning daily spaces into opportunities for joy and discovery, and Matt\u2019s mural does exactly that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Murals of La Jolla is a project of the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library and was originally established by the La Jolla Community Foundation.<\/p>\n
Rich is an abstract painter who uses various materials, often layered on top of one another to create depth. He may add and take away as a piece comes together to produce the final image.<\/p>\n
\u201cI use a lot of materials in a piece,\u201d Rich told the La Jolla Light. \u201cRight now I have this messy floor of canvas, linens, sheets of plastic, and I paint on all these materials. That is my first step. That\u2019s my palette from which I work. It\u2019s a color palette, texture palette and material palette. \u2026 There is no limit. I can add 100 pieces or stop at 20. My pieces are not perfectly flat, they have a play in materials.\u201d<\/p>\n
Artist Matt Rich created the new mural \u201cAmpersand\u201d for the Murals of La Jolla program. (Victoria Fu)<\/p>\n
Rich said his process \u201cdoesn\u2019t always have a plan\u201d and that \u201cI love to create ambiguity\u201d in his works.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just start with a shape and add to it,\u201d he said. \u201cI look at these little things [and ask] \u2018Do they match or not?\u2019 It creates reverberation that you can see.\u201d<\/p>\n
The result, he said, showcases \u201ca complete whole that is made of parts \u2026 never ceases to be parts.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t have to expect things to be fully formed to like them,\u201d he added. \u201cIt\u2019s about what you do when you are faced with a moment you don\u2019t understand.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Murals of La Jolla, Rich, who has participated in solo and group shows across the country, created a layered piece and photographed it.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe work that led to the mural is wall-based but has a three-dimensional life,\u201d he said. \u201cI wanted to expand the materials I worked with for this opportunity. How do I play with the photograph and create more than a 2-D form?\u201d<\/p>\n
Additionally, Rich said, he likes to create pieces centered on or inspired by ampersands.<\/p>\n
\u201cI make a lot of ampersands,\u201d he said. \u201cI love their forms \u2026 and I also like that they mean \u2018and,\u2019 which works for me because it is canvas and materials and depth and, and, and.\u201d<\/p>\n
An added bonus to his approach, he said, is that a piece \u201cdoesn\u2019t have a clear or singular message\u201d so is open to interpretation.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s especially helpful in a public art setting, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe live in an image-based culture,\u201d Rich opined. \u201cI like to think that public art can differentiate itself from that. I don\u2019t think it will change the world, but it\u2019s exciting to think about who might interact with it. I want to make something accessible that\u2019s like a playground. \u2026 I love thinking about the eyes that find it and what can come from it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rich, originally from Boston, has lived in San Diego for 13 years and was familiar with the Murals of La Jolla program. Thus, he said, it is \u201can honor\u201d to be asked to participate.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo have something that presents museum-quality work that people can walk around and access is amazing,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n