An alleyway in downtown Washington now has some strokes of color thanks to a local artist.

Martin Cardenas spent his vacation time and braved the heat this past week to paint a mural on the west facing wall of the building that houses the Main Street Washington and Chamber of Commerce offices and other businesses. Cardenas was hired last year after painting a garden mural a couple blocks away on South Iowa Avenue, and for the new mural, Cardenas says he used a French style of three dimensional painting to create a cityscape with a blue sky and other greenery. Originally hailing from Chicago, Cardenas says he loves the opportunities that Iowa gives for large murals with its historic brick buildings, and catching the attention of passersby while he paints, “Seeing people happy when they see something different, the smiles. And there’s too many bad things going around that sometimes smiles and something that makes somebody happy, it’s rewarding.”

There may be additional touch ups and additions made to the latest mural in the future, but Cardenas also has anticipated projects in Swedesburg, Burlington, and Muscatine. He welcomes any additional mural opportunities in Washington, and you can contact him at mcarden285@gmail.com.