All Eyes on New North Manhattan Beach Mural
Jun 20, 2018 11:47AM ● By Jeanne FratelloNorth Manhattan Beach has a new art landmark: a mural outside the Polish by Sand Spa nail salon at 33rd and Highland that has drawn photo-seekers and has caught the attention of national media outlets.
The mural, which says, "Love You Like," was painted by Ricardo Gonzalez, a.k.a. @itsaliving, a Brooklyn-based and world-renowned artist. Gonzalez is also the creator of the widely known "California Dreaming" mural on La Cienega Boulevard and "Together" in Downtown L.A.'s art district.
It was designed by Gretchen Tiernan, one of the co-owners of Polish and Sand Spa, and is meant to imply "giving love to everyone and everything you do," according to Tiernan.
The mural was completed on Mother's Day and has since been named one of two "Must-See new murals" in Los Angeles by L.A. Magazine. Photographers from TMZ were recently seen outside of the salon taking pictures of the mural.
The idea for the mural came about as part of a larger effort to draw attention to North Manhattan Beach, said Polish and Sand Spa's other co-owner, Megan Richardson.
Richardson said that she and Tiernan had recently become board members
of the North Manhattan Beach Business Improvement District and wanted
to give North Manhattan Beach its own identity as an arts district. With encouragement from the MB Chamber and other elected city officials, they decided to "lead by example and get the ball rolling" on art installations.
Richardson added: "Gretchen has been longing to operate a business in a
building that had the perfect exterior wall for a mural. She wanted to
do something that was colorful and filled with positivity to bring more
people to our beautiful city."
The mural has drawn curious art-seekers every day. "One out-of-towner even
parked her car, walked into our nail salon, and said excitedly, "This is
awesome - is this the cool part of town?'" said Richardson. "Whether she meant downtown
Manhattan Beach or not, she stopped in North Manhattan. That's what art
can do - it can stop people in their tracks. It makes people want to stop
and take a picture. Those people will likely share that picture on
their social media and with their friends. It's a great anchor for the
city, and even better for business."
Richardson added, "North Manhattan Beach is a gem. It's about time
more people experience it."