The newest addition to Lompoc’s collection of big art came together quickly, while also taking 50 years.
The Lompoc Mural Society, working with NASA, has spearheaded efforts to create the community’s newest mural, which celebrates the Landsat program and its 50th anniversary.
“I think it’s going to be a great project when it’s done and a boon the community,” said Vicki Andersen, project administrator for the Lompoc Mural Society.
Muralist Ann Thompson, a Lompoc resident, has been painting at the site, a large wall on the side of a building at the corner of West Ocean Avenue and North I Street, for months to make the deadline for finishing the artwork.
That deadline is linked to the upcoming launch of the Landsat 9 spacecraft aboard the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket set to blast off Sept. 16 from Space Launch Complex-3 on south Vandenberg Space Force Base.
In addition to dedicating the mural Sept. 12, NASA plans assorted activities on the Central Coast in conjunction with the launch.
The first Landsat spacecraft launched from Vandenberg in 1972, followed periodically by seven others to deliver data about Earth’s land and coastal regions during their joint NASA-U.S. Geological Survey missions.
One — Landsat 6 — failed to reach space following launch in 1993 aboard a Titan II rocket.
The Central Coast’s connection to Landsat isn’t just as the launch site. Key components on some of the spacecraft were manufactured in Santa Barbara.
The program’s 50th anniversary nearly coinciding with the Landsat 9 mission fueled efforts to create the newest mural and started with finding a suitable site and soliciting artists to submit designs.
Thompson’s entry included a Landsat spacecraft as a key feature, along with the “Blue Marble,” referring to NASA’s images of Earth.
“I wanted to give a sense of the beauty of Earth,” she said, adding that she found the research material provided by fascinating.
She also wanted to include replicas of the brightly colored images captured by Landsat, with those among detailed sections yet to finish as of this week.
Eight artists, from California and even out of state, submitted designs, with Thompson’s chosen as the finalist.
“I truly did not believe I had a shot, because I knew the talent I was up against,” she said.
Her work at the site began in the spring with gridding and sketching the design before she began applying the paint to the huge wall.
“My whole life has been consumed trying to make this happen in a timely manner,” she said.
The chosen wall has windows, requiring artists to plan for that in their design.
“It’s amazing what artists come up with when you have a challenge,” she said.
As she works, Thompson has earned praise from people of all ages, including one boy in a vehicle who shouted, “You’re doing a great job.”
Those stopping by to check out her work included crew members from out of state on the Central Coast to prep the Landsat spacecraft for its trip to space.
“I have just been blown away with the positive uplifting feedback I get from all age groups,” Thompson said.
It’s been a while since Lompoc added a new mural to the inventory as the organization focused on restoring many of the aging artworks around town.
She called aspects of creating her own mural mind-bending in some ways as she worked to turn her vision into reality.
“I’d be a liar if I said I didn’t stress majorly before I started, because I just thought this is important. I want it to look nice. I want people to be proud of it,” she said.
— Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.