Leucadia muralist completes latest work

Leucadia-based muralist Pepa Ivanoff began painting from the far right-hand corner of a wall on Vulcan Avenue, just south of Leucadia Boulevard. Four days later, she had transformed the wall into a blue, pink, orange and yellow tropical-themed display bearing the words “Livin’ the dream.”

The project was part of a new Leucadia business, Aloha Bungalow, scheduled to open in 2021.

“It was a little bit of a challenge because I painted directly onto the brick, and there were three different types of brick in the wall,” said Ivanoff, who is from Australia and has now lived in Leucadia on and off for 16 years.

Bricks are a little more porous, she said, and the grout between them can also make them more difficult to paint. She added that she has painted “all kinds of surfaces,” including brick, concrete and wood throughout her career. The Aloha Bungalow project started with a sketch and a chalk outline on the brick surface.

Ivanoff said she has painted more than 250 murals in six countries, including Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Guatamala. In addition to her latest work for Aloha Bungalow, she also has three others in Encinitas. Her other local works are located at the Surfhouse hotel, the Ashland Hard Seltzer headquarters and Station Salon.

“It’s really changed the facade of that building,” said Ivanoff, who is formally trained as a graphic designer, specializing in textile prints. “It’s a really funky, little old-school Leucadia beach shack and so just adding these bright colors and that fun phrase, ‘living the dream,’ we’ve had a lot of really great feedback from the community. Everybody loves it as a new addition to the community.”

She still does graphic design on the side, but works on murals full time.

For more information about Ivanoff and her work, visit pepallama.com.