18TH STREET AND GUERRERO

Version 1

Version 2

Ascension

I’ve painted this wall three times. Grew up looking at it, knew every change it had ever been through. When I finally reached out to the owner, he didn’t believe me—until I laid out its entire history. By the end, he said, “Okay, so you do know the wall. What are you painting?”

18th Street One:

The first piece wove Mission history and culture into sacred geometry. Colors circling the wheel/window referenced a collapsing mandala, spinning in on itself while nodding to the rose windows of churches. Those spaces were tuned for sound; I wanted to tune this one through color.

18th Street Version Two:

During COVID, the wall was set to be replaced, but I needed something to do. Expanded the circles, built out a crystal field, layered in sacred geometry and sonic vibrations. At the center: a three-dimensional merkaba star, known as a “flying wheel of light”, anchoring the piece with energy and gravity.

18th Street Number Three: “Ascension”:

This time, I gave it a name. The background? Fully transformed—pastels with movement, crystals stretching upward, color shifting from red to purple. A full chakra gradient. Where the merkaba once sat, the third eye cracks open, flowing upward with the motion of traffic on 18th Street. From every direction, it moves with you—grounding the energy of the intersection.