The fifth- and sixth-graders at the Red Mountain Branch of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale, located at the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community’s Way of Life Facility (WOLF), are working on a new mural.

Youth Development Specialist Natasha “Rezmo” Martinez took charge of the project, which was requested after seeing all of the mural work that Youth Services has done recently for a few of the SRPMIC departments and divisions of the Community government.

One of the requests from the branch was to include a centerpiece design of their mascot, the roadrunner.

“We wanted to incorporate the roadrunner into an outdoor scene because that was the other idea, bringing the outdoors indoors,” said Martinez. “So that’s why we have this great landscape and all these colors. We just want to bring more color to the Community.”

Martinez said that the students are working at their own pace to avoid burnout and stress, because painting is a lot of physical work. This was her first time working with this group. The kids learned how to use different brushstroke techniques and color blending.

“It’s something that I really enjoy teaching, and these guys are so easy to teach because they’re so talented already. So they have just been asking questions here and there,” said Martinez.

“But really, it’s just them painting on their own and me standing here and saying, ‘Okay, that’s pretty good. You did something I wouldn’t have thought of, but that’s awesome.’”

After the mural is finished, Youth Services will move on to paint a mural at the Boys & Girls Club Lehi Branch, located at the Lehi Community Center.