La Morena on Art, Community and the Beauty of the Arizona Desert | Guiding You Forward
La Morena's unexpected journey from athlete to artist includes a college art class revealing her natural drawing ability for the first time. She also discusses how the colors and sounds of the Arizona desert at sunset provide unlimited inspiration and fuel the cultural symbolism that makes her Southwestern murals so powerful.
In this episode of the Mountain America Credit Union Guiding You Forward podcast, we sit down with La Morena, a Phoenix native and talented muralist whose vibrant work celebrates culture and community across the Southwest.
In this episode you’ll discover:
- How La Morena transitioned from athlete to artist.
- How the shutdown of her first mural project became a defining moment in her journey.
- What the Arizona desert’s golden hour reveals and how it inspires her art.
La Morena hasn’t always seen herself as an artist. In fact, her early years were filled with soccer games, not sketchbooks. “I had an interest in art, but I just didn’t know much about it,” she shares. It wasn’t until college, while taking art classes as part of her degree, that she discovered a natural talent for drawing. Watch the video to learn how that spark would eventually grow into a full-blown passion and blossoming career.
In 2015 La Morena ‘s first mural project in downtown Phoenix, sponsored by a human rights group, was unexpectedly shut down shortly after it had begun. What could have been a setback turned into a defining moment for her. The community quickly rallied around the artists, finding a new location. Other artists volunteered their talents, and people donated supplies and food. “It was such a significant moment in my journey,” La Morena recalls. The experience revealed art’s power to unite people and the strength of a community that believes in meaningful expression.
Today, La Morena’s work can be seen across the Southwest, including an amazing mural at Mountain America Credit Union’s Queen Creek branch. Every element of the mural is rich with symbolism and intention—each part is a reflection of her journey, her culture and her identity. She draws much of her inspiration from the Arizona landscape. “Being out there in the desert, in the land, in the golden hour—something happens to the desert,” she explains. The animals become louder and the colors more vivid. All of this is represented in the Queen Creek mural.
Watch the full video to discover how La Morena transforms desert landscapes into powerful storytelling through her murals.
