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East County News Service
October 7, 2021 (Ramona) – A dedication ceremony was held last Saturday for Ramona’s newest mural, which pays tribute to the Kumeyaay Native Americans. The mural is located at the back of the Verizon Building at 1530 Main Street, Ramona. It is the 27th mural created by the non-profit Ramona H.E.A.R.T. Mural Project.
Artist Simon Melnyk created the mural with a goal “celebrate Kumeyaay culture in its untouched state by venturing into their world before European contact.” He constructed the mural on 26 individual panels which he then put together to form the complete 1200 square foot mural.
As with all Ramona mural projects, viewers are challenged to discover the “heart” icons in a “Where’s Waldo” exercise. The artist has hidden four hearts in the Kumeyaay mural.
Simon Melnyk is a multidisciplinary artist with more than 15 years of experience as a painter/illustrator/photographer/designer. Since relocating to San Diego in 2015, he has specialized in the design and painting of custom wall murals with themes tied to the ocean, nature, lifestyle, and environment and a focus on creating new visual adventures through existing spaces in the community.
He has completed a variety of unique murals throughout Ramona, Ocean Beach, Birdrock, Oceanside, Hillcrest, El Cajon and greater San Diego for local businesses that include restaurants, yoga studios, pre-school, senior living, local businesses, and private residences. In Ramona, he painted the outside stucco walls of Mariscos Mar de Cortez restaurant at 109 10th St, Ramona, Calif. and other colorful underwater scenes inside. For more on Melnyk, go to SimmageDesigns.com
If you are interested in supporting the growth of murals by becoming a sponsor of the Ramona H.E.A.R.T. Mural Project, please contact Elaine Lyttleton at lyttleton@sv-mail.com or (760) 787-1102. Anyone making a contribution of $100 or more will be named on the plaque to be erected at the site. Contributors can also designate donations to the Kumeyaay mural on the H.E.A.R.T. Mural website at ramonamurals.com/the-vision/donate
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