‘Ampersand’: Latest La Jolla public mural embraces the magic of ‘and’

The latest installation in the Murals of La Jolla program seeks to embrace the power of “and.”

Both in its imagery and the process to make it, “Ampersand” by Matt Rich encourages viewers to consider expanded ways of looking at things.

The public mural was installed Sept. 30 at 7744 Fay Ave., replacing Marcos Ramirez ERRE’s “To Reflect the Times.”

The new mixed-media image is inspired by an ampersand — the grammatical symbol for the word “and” — with several layers of different materials under and around the main focal point.

“With ‘Ampersand,’ Matt Rich transforms the wall adjacent to a busy pedestrian walkway into a vibrant site of color, movement and connection, perfectly aligned with Murals of La Jolla’s mission to bring world-class, site-specific art into public life,” according to Murals of La Jolla Executive Director Taylor Chapin. “Murals of La Jolla is all about turning daily spaces into opportunities for joy and discovery, and Matt’s mural does exactly that.”

Murals of La Jolla is a project of the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library and was originally established by the La Jolla Community Foundation.

Rich is an abstract painter who uses various materials, often layered on top of one another to create depth. He may add and take away as a piece comes together to produce the final image.

“I use a lot of materials in a piece,” Rich told the La Jolla Light. “Right now I have this messy floor of canvas, linens, sheets of plastic, and I paint on all these materials. That is my first step. That’s my palette from which I work. It’s a color palette, texture palette and material palette. … There is no limit. I can add 100 pieces or stop at 20. My pieces are not perfectly flat, they have a play in materials.”

Rich said his process “doesn’t always have a plan” and that “I love to create ambiguity” in his works.

“I just start with a shape and add to it,” he said. “I look at these little things [and ask] ‘Do they match or not?’ It creates reverberation that you can see.”

The result, he said, showcases “a complete whole that is made of parts … never ceases to be parts.”

“You don’t have to expect things to be fully formed to like them,” he added. “It’s about what you do when you are faced with a moment you don’t understand.”

For Murals of La Jolla, Rich, who has participated in solo and group shows across the country, created a layered piece and photographed it.

“The work that led to the mural is wall-based but has a three-dimensional life,” he said. “I wanted to expand the materials I worked with for this opportunity. How do I play with the photograph and create more than a 2-D form?”

Additionally, Rich said, he likes to create pieces centered on or inspired by ampersands.

“I make a lot of ampersands,” he said. “I love their forms … and I also like that they mean ‘and,’ which works for me because it is canvas and materials and depth and, and, and.”

An added bonus to his approach, he said, is that a piece “doesn’t have a clear or singular message” so is open to interpretation.

That’s especially helpful in a public art setting, he said.

“We live in an image-based culture,” Rich opined. “I like to think that public art can differentiate itself from that. I don’t think it will change the world, but it’s exciting to think about who might interact with it. I want to make something accessible that’s like a playground. … I love thinking about the eyes that find it and what can come from it.”

Rich, originally from Boston, has lived in San Diego for 13 years and was familiar with the Murals of La Jolla program. Thus, he said, it is “an honor” to be asked to participate.

“To have something that presents museum-quality work that people can walk around and access is amazing,” he said.

The Athenaeum will host Rich for an artist talk at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 6, during which he will discuss his career, recent projects and his newly completed La Jolla mural. For more information, visit muralsoflajolla.com.