Meet Mural Artist Diana Cendales

By Mary Casey-Sturk

If you’ve been to Blue Marble Books, Tickle Pickle, Kids & Cribs Child Enrichment Center, or Highland Square Café recently, you may have noticed the whimsical murals on their walls.  Who is responsible for the cheerful pickles and the aliens that make me laugh every time I have a burger? The cow jumping over the moon as I look for books? The mural of iconic local buildings when I stop for a salad?  It’s Fort Thomas-based artist Diana ”Dee” Cendales! 

A long-time resident of Campbell County, Cendales and her daughter have called Fort Thomas home for the last few years.  Growing up in an artistic home, with a sculptural artist mother and her stepdad in the film industry, Cendales would be around them as they created sets in their studio, so her love of creating brighter spaces came naturally.

Murals, as a form of visual art, date back 30,000 years ago when humans painted images on cave walls and other natural surfaces. Murals, in our modern world, tell stories of the community and its people, they are used to advertise and put a stamp of creative expression on walls across our region. 

Lucky for us, we don’t need to explore caves to enjoy creative expression. In the past few years, Cendales’ murals have been popping up around town and bringing art to the community. In addition to public work, she creates murals for homes as well.

Cendales’ work is influenced by her travels, a time during which she explored remote places and created art along the way-including painting and creating murals. “This was a big part of my journey as an artist” shares Cendales.  In addition to her painting skills, she also founded Wisdom Tree and creates jewelry from natural materials, offering it at Flea in the Fort, makers markets, shops, and festivals. 

Several years ago, Cendales traveled to South America and discovered a profound love of nature. Growing on this, she began repurposing natural materials that would be considered waste (like orange rinds and melon seeds) into the bespoke pieces Wisdom Tree has become known for.

Murals

“I’ve been doing murals for about 15 years; I didn’t start doing them professionally until 3 years ago. My daughter goes to Woodfill, so I did them here in the neighborhood.” Referrals and recommendations grew, Cendales adds, “it quickly evolved from being residential rooms to the sides of buildings.”

Working with the business (or homeowner), she sketches their vision and hand paints her designs, which she finds both “calming and rewarding”. The hand-painted style also adds to the work, enriching the details and the story.

“My motivation to do it now (create murals) is primarily my daughter, hence why I’ve chosen to do more whimsical children’s s-themed art in the area. I bring my daughter a lot to different jobs that I’m at, it gives her the opportunity to see me work and it motivates her to see that women can do all kinds of jobs in the arts.”  “Our motto is “the sky is the limit!”” shares Cendales. 

She likes to keep her murals bright and bold, happy and uplifting. “I love taking jobs that bring out the kid in me. It’s a good thing.” Adding, “The murals to me are fun and bring the community together, it’s my essential goal, to bring families together.”

To learn more about Cendales’ work, visit her facebook page Cendales Mural Art.