El Cholo's Kid is a Chula Vista shop selling handwoven Mexican bags and baskets, bold, colorful, unapologetically maximalist. Owner Daisy came to me with a phrase and a feeling: "Antes muerta que sencilla", a Northern Mexican expression, meaning roughly "I'd rather be dead than plain," famously associated with golden-age actress María Félix. She wanted a mural that would stop people in their tracks and make them want to take a photo.

I designed the composition around the phrase as a centerpiece, drawing the surrounding motifs from two sources Daisy shared: María Félix's iconic imagery (the sacred heart, the sense of drama and glamour) and traditional Mexican folk textiles for the layered floral elements. The radiating sunburst creates a natural focal point and gives the wall that "step into the light" energy that makes a great photo backdrop. Tucked at the bottom is a winged tote bag, a nod to the store's signature product. I painted the mural myself on-site in San Diego.