Community Art

Community Faces Project       - About the Honorees       - About the Artists       - Young Storytellers / Teen Producers Cultural Tapestry Walkways Sempra Children's Art Walls Cross-cultural Dome Art

When you step inside Asia Wok, be sure to look up and feast your eyes on the magnificent dome. Designed and painted by local artist Sal Barajas, the art depicts representatives from the Samoan, Sudanese, Somali, Laotian, Mexican, Filipino, Kumaaya, and African American cultures - all who live in the surrounding neighborhoods.

Creating the dome mural was a detailed and tedious project. First, photographs were taken of the cultural representatives, then several sketches were drawn. Images from the approved sketches were carefully fitted inside a plastic bowl to determine the space and size each figure would occupy within the big dome. Black line drawings of all the figures were done on clear acetate which were then projected on the actual surface using an overhead projector. With the aid of a hydraulic lift, the images were outlined with black "Sharpies" then hand-painted by Mr. Barajas and his son Sal Barajas Jr., using acrylic paint to create vibrant colors and graduated tones. Deceptive in size, each portrait averages 10 feet in height.