LOCAL ART
New mural contributes ‘Key Detail’ to San Marcos’ beauty
On the drive into the downtown area on South LBJ Drive coming from the highway, it is impossible to miss the newly completed, grand and awe-inspiring mural adorning the entire back wall of the business complex located at 110 East MLK Drive. Flowing Through San Marcos was created by Andrey Kravtsov, aka Key Detail, and incorporates the headwaters, arrowheads, Bluebonnets, Rice Grass, the Hays County Historic Courthouse, the Square, Old Main at Texas State University, various river birds, turtles, Monarch Butterflies, otters and a bobcat, of course. The artwork displays everything that makes San Marcos unique with bold splashes of blue, green, red and orange, giving those driving into town a quick preview of what they’ll find when they get there.
“I just want to say that I feel incredibly privileged to have been chosen to paint this mural here in San Marcos, and it’s such a fulfilling experience to contribute something meaningful to the beautiful city,” Kravtsov said. “It’s definitely one of the biggest projects that I’ve ever done, and I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out, with this result. I hope you feel the same way as me, and I hope this mural captures the spirit of the community.”
San Marcos Arts Commission Chair Kelly King-Green pointed to the many ways that art can impact people.
“It can reflect natural beauty. It can speak without words. It can represent people and ideas and communities. It can instill pride in a place. It can make a powerful, lasting imprint on your mind, in your spirit and create something that you carry with you. It can draw a crowd, and it can bring people together,” King-Green said. “Very rarely does a piece of art accomplish all of that, and I’m so proud to have worked on this project as a member of the Arts Commission. I’m so proud of our city for valuing public art. I’m so proud to be here tonight because that beautiful wall behind us does all of that in one fell swoop.”
Trey Hatt, San Marcos arts coordinator, said the mural has been in the works for years.
“In 2020, we decommissioned the first mural on the back of the building, the Colors of Texas, [which] was innovative in its own right. It was printed on vinyl panels and attached to the walls, but it fell victim to the harsh Texas summers,” Hatt said. “The Arts Commission … set aside funds for a more permanent mural to be painted directly to the wall. We knew it would be a major undertaking, and it was, trust me.”
A nationwide call for artists led to over 100 submissions from across the country, and three finalists were selected.
“We flew them into town in February of this year to look at the site,” Hatt said, adding that an open house was held so the artists could gain a better understanding of what made San Marcos special before submitting their designs. “Andrey Kravtsov, New York — better known as Key Detail — won the job.”
Check out more of Kravtsov’s work at facebook. com/KeyDetail1 and on instagram (@keydetail).
