by CLIFF AND NANCY HILL
Last Saturday, while Art in the Park was in full swing in Garden Club Park, art on a grand scale was being created inside of a soon-to-be-open Mexican restaurant in downtown Rockford. Guatemalan artist Carmelo Lopez (pictured below), currently residing in the U.S., has been working feverishly to meet a two-week deadline prior to the grand opening of Cinco de Mayo. Lopez has been busy painting three-dimensional murals on the interior walls of the restaurant located on Courtland Street at the site of the former Smokehouse which burned down two years ago.
Lopez is depicting scenes of old Mexico, primarily the hometown of restauranteur Marco Cullar. To say that Lopez is succeeding would be an understatement. The murals are beautiful and so realistic that one feels they are in the heart of Guanajuato, Mexico. The artwork displayed in the decor is worthy of the Grand Rapids Art Prize competition!
Cinco de Mayo will be a full-service restaurant with a large eclectic menu featuring authentic Mexican cuisine.
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