Porto Vista hotel Commission First Rooftop Mural
Porto Vista Hotel is a boutique hotel in Little Italy, San Diego that showcases contemporary local and international artists throughout the hotel, creatively activating unusual and unlikely spaces. In collaboration with 1805 Gallery, the Porto Vista Hotel is pleased to announce the completion of a 12ft x 25ft mural on the rooftop of the Hotel by local visual artist Sarah Stieber. On Friday, May 3, 2019, the Porto Vista Hotel hosted an artist reception from 6-9PM on the 5th floor rooftop. The event featured a special screening of a short film by Holly Sutor documenting Stieber’s experience painting her first mural in a unique location and a time-lapse film presented by The Artist Odyssey. The evening closed with a Q&A with Artist Sarah Stieber, Photographer Holly Sutor, and Art Program Director Lauren Siry
The mural titled “May You Always See Magic” is inspired by Sarah Stieber’s, Glow with the Flow series, a body of work that is about Women possessing a “reflective superpower to reflect back that things in life that do not serve us and to let in what does”(Stieber). The mural depicts a female figure in a multi-color body suit reclining into a shiny rainbow floatie above clear blue water. The image touches upon a long history of the reclining odalisque, an art historical genre of a woman laying on her side for the spectator. Stieber’s reflective figure revisions the passive female form as an empowered figure, actively looking out to the horizon capturing an airborne plane in the glossy lens of her eyewear. The figure’s reflectivity not only liberates her from the spectator’s gaze but also advocates a revisualization of the reclining female as an objectified form.
Stieber’s use of the rainbow is a symbolic representation of the Porto Vista Hotel’s belief in creating an inclusive space for all individuals and empowering our community to think openly and creatively. As a proud supporter of the LGBTQ community, the Porto Vista Hotel hosts Top of the Bay, a weekly event on the hotel rooftop that encourages community engagement.
About the Artist
Sarah Stieber’s colorful, energetic style reflects the vibrant culture of Southern California, where she has been painting professionally since 2010. At Boston University, Stieber explored color theory, oil technique, and dramatic subject matter, earning a degree in painting with honors. Stieber’s work has been showcased in national competitions, winning a public art competition through Coachella Music and Art Festival. Most recently, she was commissioned to paint the centerpiece for both the redesigned Courtyard Marriot in Downtown San Diego, and for the Spring Hill Suites by Marriott in Oceanside.
