Something 'magical': El Paso artist Blanca Estrada creates unique desert mural

For most of her life, Blanca Estrada had considered art a hobby.

She has been painting and drawing since she was 4 years old. In high school, she got VIP passes from a radio station, met her idol, Shakira, and showed the singer her drawing.

As an adult, she is a regular vendor at the El Paso and regional comic cons, favored for her anime coloring books that depict El Paso landmarks. And she teaches painting to classes or private parties.

Three years ago, however, Estrada, who was a math teacher at Bowie High School for six years, decided to live and work as an artist.

"After 2020, I wasn't enjoying teaching anymore. It was very hard, and I decided that I needed to pick one of them because it became two full time jobs, really," she said.

After saving money for her mortgage and paying off thousands in student loans, Estrada quit teaching in June of 2022 and has been busy filling her time doing comic cons, art markets and commissioned work.

So far, it's been a keen decision. Her versatility contributes to her sustainability.

Estrada was selected by a Northeast Walmart management team to design a mural of the El Paso desert landscape in her unique style that will be featured over the entrance doors. The mural will be unveiled April 13 at the recently remodeled Walmart, 4530 Woodrow Bean Transmountain Drive. A grand opening is planned for 8 a.m. April 14.

Estrada, sometimes called Bloo, designed the mural on her iPad and it will be transferred onto a vinyl panel, stretching 24 feet by 8 feet. The mural depicts the mountains and desert in bright colors, with oranges, yellows, browns, reds and purples. It had to include Fort Bliss, the Franklin Mountains, the words El Paso, the Star on the Mountain, and the Walmart logo.

Estrada said she wanted to make something fun, warm and resonated with El Pasoans.

"I tried to make it as nature oriented as possible but it's still very magical. It's not realistic except for the animals. The whole thing was supposed to be very fun and very warm and inviting so you look at it and it makes you happy. I had a lot of fun making the animals and even included a goat I heard about that they named him Bob," she said.

The artist believes a character she created, the Desert Queen, captured the attention of Walmart management. The Desert Queen, or Aloe, is a magical being with white color and is depicted with a specific palette of colors.

"She's been received very well by women, and I think that's what they saw at Walmart that they wanted me to make a mural because of my style. And they wanted a woman that would be a good role model for the community and the Northeast is where I grew up so it was very special to me to be asked to do that, " she said.

Marie Saenz, the manager of the Walmart, said she became acquainted with the artist by following her on her social media. When her store began the remodeling process, Saenz was able to choose an artist to create a mural for the store and she thought of Estrada.

"For me it was important to get a local artist that understood the culture, the Northeast. Not only that but as a woman store manager I think we should empower other women. And she's an educator and artist," she said.

She added, "She is a talented artist. Just the attention to detail she has. Even if you look at the rabbit per se, it is really detailed."

Estrada admits she gets bored easily, so she is always switching mediums. She can work in ink, pencil, acrylics, watercolors, oil and digitally.

A regular at comic cons, Estrada is well-known for the coloring books she created.

"I started making a coloring book. I had painted a series of Pokemon in El Paso and they became really popular, so I made them into a coloring book. And it did really well so I made two more," she said.

An auction of her Pokemon series brought in $2,000 at an event.

She also does a lot of fan art for comic con events, accepts portrait commissions and has had shows featuring the art of Frida Kahlo. Her designs are on stickers, prints and some blankets.

Even though Estrada gets great feedback at shows, she says she appreciates the validation she is getting for her mural.

"When I posted the mural (on social media), it got the most likes of any of my posts," Estrada said. "And that made me really happy because I was concerned. I wanted to do a good job. And I don't think I'm that great in digital work. I'm still learning so it was a good challenge for me to grow more."

María Cortés González may be reached at 915-546-6150, mcortes@elpasotimes.com and @EPTMaria on Twitter.

Where to catch Blanca Estrada:

Classes: She will be giving a class on painting Selena Quintanilla at the Upper Valley Market from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. March 26. $25 per painter. Limited spots. Reserve your spot: 915-873-9269.

Appearances: El Paso Comic Con: April 21-23, Riverwalk Anime, San Antonio: April 15-16 and El Paso Anime Con, June 10-11, among others.

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: El Paso artist Blanca Estrada creates unique desert mural for Walmart