From canvases in her bedroom to a mural: Teen paints Hartford’s newest work of art

Susan Dunne, Hartford Courant
Updated ·2 min read
From canvases in her bedroom to a mural: Teen paints Hartford’s newest work of art

Manuela Valencia, 16, of Hartford wants to be a veterinarian. She hasn’t decided on a college yet, but she is preparing by attending the agriscience program at Glastonbury High School.

However, right now the only animals she is thinking of are the bees and butterflies on the mural she created at WestSide Square, the new food truck park at 510 Farmington Ave. in Hartford.

In a city full of murals, Valencia is one of the youngest muralists. She recently finished the artwork on a 8-feet-tall by 32-feet-wide plywood wall.

At the center of the sky-blue mural is a young woman, her arms outstretched.

“This food truck park is a new idea. I think this is about exploring new ideas. She is holding out her arms, expanding her horizons,” Valencia said. “She is breaking out.”

The young woman is surrounded by flowers, clouds, trees, smiling faces, musical notes, bees, stars, butterflies and swirls of color and movement.

Quan and Rebeca Quach developed and run the food-truck park. They were asked by the city, which owns the lot, to put up a barrier in front of the messy cluster of working materials that Quan Quach had shoved into the corner of the park.

“If that wall has to be there, it might as well be beautiful,” Quan Quach said.

Rebeca Quach wanted the mural to reflect the youth of the city. “There are many talented students in Hartford. I wanted to give them a platform,” she said.

Through friends at a nearby school, Rebeca Quach heard of Valencia’s painting. “I saw her painting of a woman and fell in love,” she said.

Before this, Valencia primarily painted canvases in her room. “Now out of nowhere I’m painting a huge mural,” she said.

The roses on the mural were Rebeca Quach’s idea. The logo of WestSide Square has a rose on it, to reflect the rose garden in nearby Elizabeth Park.

Quan Quach said more public art may be coming to the park. He wants to put up a barrier behind the movie screen. Free movie nights are Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m.

“The lighting coming from the parking lot at Burger King [next door] makes it so you can’t see the screen,” he said. “So I’m gonna put more plywood up to block the light. Maybe we’ll get some art up there.”

Find Westside Square at facebook.com/westsidesquare.

Susan Dunne can be reached at sdunne@courant.com.