“Perspective”
Location: The Root of the Hill
1121 Broadway Boulder, CO 80302
2023 Fall Mural Series
Photos by Peter Kowalchuk and Dona Laurita
In his mural, Speaks paints an abstract collage of vignettes that embodies parts of himself and perceptions of Black culture. “Perspective” affirms Black is human.
A police officer holding a baton scurries across the left side of the mural above a bulging bag full of money. These forces represent the racist capitalist system that polices Black communities and profits off Black culture and knowledge. On the right, Louis Armstrong plays his trumpet. The title characters from “Queen & Slim” lovingly lounge in front of their car. A lone rose grows in between the cracks of the sidewalk in the middle of the mural. The rose symbolizes the artist himself, rising from the concrete to create something beautiful.
Speaks takes a visual approach to his design process, looking at photos that inspire him, placing them in a collage, and sketching from there. The painting process flows smoothly as spray painting comes naturally to the artist.