Young Folsom native picked to create vibrant mural on Sutter Street building

A young Folsom native is making a monumental mark on a building in Historic Folsom quite literally, one stroke at a time with the aid of some paint, art tools and a lot of inspiration. Amanda Martin, who grew up in Folsom and is currently attending college in Southern California, won a bid to create a mural on the brick building at 604 Sutter Street, which is home to the Sutter Street Steakhouse and Fourscore Coffee House. Martin, 22, is in her second year of college at Laguna College of Art and Design in Orange County. When the building owners were accepting bids from artists for the mural project, Martin threw her hat into the ring, submitted her ideas and designs, and was beyond thrilled when she found out she won the project. What Martin lacks in age and professional experience she makes up for in her passion for the beauty of Folsom and desire to create a piece that reflects the community she loved growing up in. "I wanted something that captured the nature that I love so much about this area," explained Martin when detailing her vision for the mural. "And I just wanted it to be bright and colorful and something that is an inspiration to the community." Martin's design for the 20- by 40-foot mural features much of what Folsom is loved for: the Rainbow Bridge with kayakers in the water, California poppies and a range of other vibrant visual elements for which the city is known. This is only Martin's second mural; usually, she works on smaller paintings, but she said she learned a lot about how to create this sort of piece from an art professor at her college, and she incorporated many lessons he taught her during the painting of this mural. Martin admits she was a bit intimidated to take on such a lofty project. But as her creative inspiration slowly but surely came to life on the brick building, she knew she was meant for this job; yet, there have definitely been lessons along the way. "Towards the beginning, I was sort of hesitant and questioning if I was the right person for this because it's such a big project and I wanted the community to enjoy it and so it's a big pressure to make something that I want people to like. But I'm really glad that I did this and just took that leap of faith and it's been a really great challenge so far and a great learning experience," explained Martin. "A lot of the project is in the preparation and in the inspiration before actually getting up there. I think because I had a good plan this project has gone a lot smoother than if I had just been winging it. So taking the time to prepare and make sure you like your design and the meaning behind it is really important." This endeavor has also been a team project: Martin's husband, Connor, has been her wingman along the way, helping her with prepping and other necessities. Her longtime close friend Ella has also been an irreplaceable help, literally standing beside her on the scaffolding up high, aiding in the creation of the mural. Martin planned to put finishing touches on the mural Wednesday evening, July 22, after putting in long hours all week to complete it. Martin said this has been an artistic endeavor she will never forget, and she hopes the community will love the end product as much as she has enjoyed creating it. "I just hope that it is a blessing to the community and it brings people joy and that it inspires people," Martin said.