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Downtown welcomes newest mural
Art piece honors Pleasanton's past as it looks into the future

by Emily West

The wall on the side of Valley Plumbing's Home Center, at Peters and Rose avenues, is the new home for Pleasanton's latest mural installation.

The Pleasanton Downtown Association sponsored and funded the mural project, which was completed by artists Ron Norman and Bill Weber. It is the second mural funded by the PDA, which has a mural subcommittee as part of its design and beautification committee, and a third one is being planned.

Norman and Weber were up for a challenge in not only depicting historically accurate details, but also painting on wavy metal siding.

For Norman, it was a welcomed project, as he was a Pleasanton resident for more than 20 years. Now a resident of Pacheco near Pleasant Hill, he painted the mural in the City Council Chamber in 1984, depicting the sister city relationship with Tulancingo, Mexico.

The sepia-toned artwork recalls Pleasanton in the 1920s, with Ford Model Ts and a giant Southern Pacific steam train. With old photos gathered from the Museum On Main, they created a pastiche that was translated into the mural. Adding a touch of modernity, the mural includes a man, painted in color, capturing the scene with a digital camera.