Mendocino Land of Extravagant Visions

Artist: Marta Alosno Canillar
Location: Where the train tracks cross Main St.

This jewel of a mural is a love letter to Mendocino County. The flowing images layer many of Marta's favorite, iconic bits of the county with details from her own life. You can stare at this mural for 20 minutes and still keep finding tiny surprises tucked into a corner or hiding behind a leaf. Here are a few of our favorite details:

Keen eyed observers may note that this honeycomb is hiding the symbol of the melatonin molecule. While Marta was painting this section she was listening to a podcast about the pineal gland, and the role of melatonin and seratonin in mental health and happiness. She hid the structure of the melatonin molecule in the honeycomb. Fun fact: Melatonin metabolizes into DMT, though not in high enough amounts to induce a psychoactive state. Bees are so important to any ecosystem, but particularly to a farm ecosystem. Marta likes making small things bigger and making big things smaller. She says "notice small creatures!"

Marta was thrilled when the Skunk Train agreed to host this mural. Her grandfather worked for a train company and lived by depot in Spain. She has fond memories of traveling by train in Spain when she lived there, and she routinely travels by train when she visits. She particularly loved painting the engine.

Marta laughed when she described this section of the mural. She has spent years living in the country on a farm, farming and painting. She said somehow along the line she switched from farming to painting farms. This scene is a conglomeration of elements from her life. The bicycle was a gift given to her in high school by her parents for getting good grades. She later found it in her parents garage, packed it up and had it shipped to California. She loves that bike and rides it all the time. The dog by barn is her friend’s puppy. The puppy's name is Dillinger, or Dilly.

Chickens are dear to Marta loves chickens because they are very silly.

Hi banana slug! Banana slugs thrive in the damp shade of redwood forests along North America's Pacific coastal coniferous rainforest belt (including douglas-fir forests and redwood forests) which stretches from Southeastern Alaska to Santa Cruz, California. They eat fallen leaves, mushrooms, moss, and other dead plant material. There are three species of banana slugs in California: the bright yellow California banana slug, the olive green and spotted Pacific banana slug, and the long thin Slender banana slug.

If you hike any of our local trails through the redwoods keep an eye out for two of our local plant species. Trillium ovatum flowers seem to glow white against the shady forest floor. Redwood sorrel is a common sight, distinguished by it's red-backed clover-like leaves and pink flowers. Redwood sorrel has a bright, tangy, lemony flavor, but double check with a field guide before sampling anything in the wild. Did you notice the little frog sitting on the trillium leaf? Or the new Douglas fir sprout emerging from the fallen pine cone?

You may notice this little paper boat as it makes it's journey from this inland pond to the sea.

Since 2014 the vast forests of bull kelp off the coast of Northern California have experienced a catastrophic 95% die-off. Why? Learn more here...

Did you know that California's wild turkeys are non-native? Learn more here...

Are there really mountain lions in Mendocino? Yes there sure are. You are unlikely to see one however, and if you do, keep in mind that their preferred food is local deer, and there has not been a mountain lion attack since 1994. That being said, do not approach the mountain lion to try to get a picture. Seriously. Learn more here...

Grateful thanks!

Heartfelt thanks to Flockworks, a local arts non-profit, and The Mendocino County Tourism Commission for joining forces to make this mural possible. And thanks to the Skunk Train for hosting our mural on their rail bike shed. For rail bike tickets click here...