San Francisco – Based artist Nicole Mueller takes on tall task
At a new Burlingame life sciences campus dubbed The Landing, two 60-foot murals created by artist Nicole Mueller will soon be completed — one visible from the highway.
The Landing is now open to tenant applications, per its website, and boasts more than 500,000 square feet of lab and office space located in close proximity to transit hubs and the Bay. The surrounding natural landscapes were an inspiration for both murals, which are abstract works that emphasize shape and form.
“I’m also really inspired by environmental influences. I’m interested in painting as this unique visual vocabulary,” Mueller said. “With these murals, I’m specifically thinking about their location in Burlingame, and the area’s history as a thruway for all these different forms of transportation, both natural and manmade.”
The incorporation of public artwork like the murals is an important aspect of the project, King Street Managing Director Sonia Taneja said. King Street Properties is the developer of The Landing, which Taneja described as a “purpose-driven” space.
“It’s part of our development that we like to feature artists that are either local to the community or tie into our projects in a way, in order to boost that spirit of being able to have wellness and enjoy the space,” she said.
The works have been an exploration in scale for Mueller, she said, largely due to their size and how frequently they will be seen by commuters and employees alike.
One mural, visible from the highway, is complete, and a second is in progress and set to be finished by the end of June or July. Both feature high-contrast colors and paint sprayed in “atmospheric hazes,” which Mueller decided upon while considering how the artwork would be seen both from far away and close up.
The artwork will be added to Burlingame’s collection of public art, which can be viewed via map on the city’s website.
Mueller emphasized the importance of public art and said the developer’s commitment to including such a large-scale piece within The Landing was a benefit to the community.
“I think it’s wonderful that organizations and even cities are investing in artwork in this way, as an integral part of a design as a space,” she said.
It’s also been an opportunity for her to stretch creatively.
“I am really excited to see my work at this scale — it does feel a little surreal at times,” she said. “I’ve painted murals in the past, gotten to work on fairly large paintings on canvas, but really nothing like we’re making there at The Landing.”
From Holly Rusch at the San Mateo Daily Journal