Marta Ayala

Marta Ayala is a Salvadoran-American painter and a woman muralist in San Francisco. Her work involves experimenting with colors, themes, etc. She is not tied to a single theme, medium or style. The majority of her work revolves around engaging with the community by collaborating with other artists and teaching classes. She experiments with various colors and uses easily definable lines in her paintings and murals.

Early life Marta Ayala's artistic career began when she immigrated from El Salvador to San Francisco in 1968 along with her family. Ayala started producing paintings and drawings as a child. He was a muralist and she followed in his footsteps. Her artwork has primitive and childlike characteristics. She is self-taught, evident from the outlines used in her images.

She attended schools throughout San Francisco and in Venezuela to further her skills.

Works Self portrait This 18 × 24 inch painting was created with oil on canvas. Ayala painted herself grinning with satisfaction while her dream-like self is depicted in darker colors with a serious demeanor in the background. The style is primitive as there is a clear distinction between herself and the background.

Garfield High Mural (2006) This mural was painted on a wall at Garfield High School in Palo Alto, California. This work involved the students of the high school as instructed by Ayala. It has childlike characteristics as it was painted by children. The mural displays a small town on a grassy hill filled with butterflies full of color and flowers throughout. It irepresents the transformation of their city or hopes for transformation to a more positive and beautiful one. The cursive words above the mural read, "Latino Power Hope to Transform Our City, Our Future Community, Leadership, Our Friendships, Family."

Silver Avenue Family Health Center (2006) The Silver Avenue Family Health Center mural is a colorful piece. The mural displays people dancing in different ways in various color schemes. This was a piece of art created with the community.

Honors and reward Ayala has received rewards for Best Public Art in the community in years 1998 and 2001.