SAN DIEGO -- Cecelia Moreno, owner of the Crest Cafe, is taking advantage of the building’s outdoor wall space by commissioning a mural in celebration of the restaurant’s coming anniversary. The artist, Cody Griffith, said the mural would be finished in time for this year’s Pride celebration, July 20 – 22.

“The mural will be a permanent art installation for the community, to commemorate our 30th year in business in Hillcrest,” Moreno said.

Griffith, who graduated from the Maryland Institute College of Art in 2010, is a San Diego native and said he submitted a portfolio and sketches to Moreno when the restaurant owner made a general call for submissions earlier this year.

“We did a couple sketches and talked about it,” Griffith said. “It represents not only the Cafe but also Hillcrest as a community.”

When finished, the mural will be of a large purple and pink circus elephant, walking through a colorful forested area. A blanket on the elephant’s back will be adorned with a painted replica of the recognizable Hillcrest sign.

“We wanted something iconic for the Cafe and the community,” Griffith said. “We wanted to go with whimsical colors, have a whimsical theme and play on the exaggeration of size.”

Read the full story in San Diego Uptown News, a SDGLN content partner, HERE.