SOLANA BEACH — Prolific local mural artist Kevin Anderson has completed his latest work at the Solana Beach Post Office, with nine colorful coastal scenes breathing life into the building’s interior.
The mural was commissioned by the Solana Beach Civic and Historical Society, which has led beautification projects, including a sculpture garden and landscaping at the post office, for several years.
Anderson, who grew up in Solana Beach, took iconic local spots as inspiration for his paintings. Visitors will see a view of Fletcher Cove as they first enter the historic post office, followed by scenes of the downtown Plaza area, train station, La Colonia de Eden Gardens, Harbaugh Seaside trails, the train station, Annie’s Canyon, and various underwater scenes.
The project took six months to complete, with Anderson working four to five hours per day beginning in September, taking occasional breaks for other projects, and finishing in March.
“I treat my murals like an artist treats a canvas — I really put my all into it,” Anderson said. If people can come in for a moment, smile, and enjoy themselves, that’s great.”
Anderson has been an artist since his days at San Dieguito Academy, but has painted murals in the Encinitas area for around 35 years. His work can be seen on buildings throughout Cardiff and Leucadia, such as the new Shatto building, the Encinitas library, San Dieguito Academy High School, and next to Besta Wan Pizza.
His largest works include a series of 20-foot-tall murals at the Solana Gateway Business Center on Lomas Santa Fe Drive, and a 72-foot-long mural inside the pedestrian tunnel at Civita Park in Mission Valley.
The civic and historical society noticed Anderson’s work at the Solana Gateway and eventually asked him if he would be interested in sprucing up the post office’s interior. He agreed.
“For more than 70 years, our organization’s mission has been to support civic education and the beautification of our community,” society president Jojo Dodson Bogard said. “The freshly-painted walls provided a canvas for furthering those goals, and after Postmaster Richard Zamora agreed to partner on the project, Kevin was the obvious artist for the job.”
Anderson’s roots in Solana Beach run deep. He attended Skyline Elementary and Earl Warren Middle schools before attending San Dieguito Academy, where he began diving into art.
He briefly attended Palomar College before a professor encouraged him to pursue art further at Long Beach State University. Throughout that time, he continued to live in Cardiff, sleeping in his car in Long Beach during the week and driving home on the weekends.
Post-grad, he worked as an illustrator for several years before eventually beginning to paint murals. The more he painted, the more people sought him out.
“It’s just been building and building and building, word of mouth,” Anderson said. “I’m in my sixties now, and my sixties have been my best and most productive years for painting murals. I’ll just keep going.”
His favorite thing to paint is the ocean through murals or on a canvas set up in the sand. Along with views of the water, one of the underwater scenes at the post office features vivid orange Garibaldi fish that Anderson has seen at Tabletops reef in Solana Beach.
Residents running errands at the post office have seen the progression over the months. On Monday, as Anderson added a couple of last touches, several stopped to compliment him on his work.
“As long as I can keep painting murals, I can continue with my dream,” he said.
To learn more about Anderson’s work, visit fineartbykevinanderson.com.
