Mural art is widely displayed in San Francisco neighborhoods, and every year in Bernal Heights over 2,000 square feet of portable wall space opens up to artists of all ages as a ‘freedom of expression forum.’  The 14th annual Urban Youth Arts Festival – Paint your heart out Day – is a celebration of amazing talent in Precita Park.  From musicians to street artists, everyone has a shot at center stage.

Rafael Arana is a 21-year old art student who let me watch him breathe life into his green-eyed monster against a backdrop of imaginations run wild.  He taught me that a whole lot of planning goes into ‘saying it with a spray can’.  But come show day, even the artists themselves can be surprised by what takes shape.