Art for everyone

Downtown's newest mural reflects city's past, present and future

PHOTOS BY LAUREN ROMANO/VIEWTop, artist Ozzy Villate works on the mural "Promise" on the side of the Rainbow Club Casino. Below, Villate paints a gear, which represents the Basic Magnesium Industries plant. PHOTOS BY LAUREN ROMANO/VIEWTop, artist Ozzy Villate works on the mural "Promise" on the side of the Rainbow Club Casino. Below, Villate paints a gear, which represents the Basic Magnesium Industries plant. LAUREN ROMANO/VIEWAssistant artist Neeka Dawn Villate, left, stands on a ladder with her husband, artist Ozzy Villate, as they work on the mural titled "Promise" on the side of the Rainbow Club Casino, 122 S. Water St., April 24. Ozzy designed the mural, which was dedicated May 8. Advertisement

Henderson's newest public art display, which takes up an exterior wall at the Rainbow Club Casino, was unveiled May 8 at 122 S. Water St.

Henderson artist Ozzy Villate created "Promise" with the city's history and future in mind.

Villate said he has been creating art for as long as he can remember, but after high school, he took a long break.

"In 2000, my faith inspired me to do something good with my life," Villate said.

At 39, Villate became a freshman in the art department at UNLV.

"No one believed in me except for my wife," Villate said.

He said he struggled early in his life, but that has made him a better artist.

"Joy is rooted in suffering," he said.

For the past eight years, Villate has been painting full time. He works on canvas, with oil, does faux finishes and has done many murals, including one at UNLV on the old student union and the Centennial Mural on the Fremont Hotel in downtown Las Vegas. He also took part in the Clark County Parks and Recreation Department's Zap! public art project, in which utility boxes were used as the canvas to bring art to neighborhoods.

Villate said his first sketch for the mural on the Rainbow's wall was rejected by the city's Cultural Arts and Tourism department, so he took a break and spent time learning about Henderson.

"I drove up and down Water Street," he said. "And it just hit me, art deco. That's what I needed to do."

Villate said he became fascinated with Henderson's history and found it easy to incorporate the three sponsors, the city, Henderson Public Libraries and the Rainbow Club Casino, into his design.

The background colors are for the Rainbow. The man reading a book represents knowledge, and his stance shows that when he's done reading, he will run and spread what he has learned. He also is holding an apple for the city's All People Promoting Literacy Efforts Partnership reading program. The overall art deco theme blends in with the Water Street District, and the wavy waters represent the mural's home street.

The Basic Magnesium Industries plant is represented by a gear, and the sunrise mimics the sun in the city's seal.

"The scroll represents literature in the form of technology," Villate said. "The budding flowers represent the city in its infancy, and the green leaves its maturity. The rainbow on top takes you from the past into the present and the future. At the end of the rainbow, there isn't a pot of gold coins, but wisdom and good planning. That's what got Henderson where it is today."

Villate has been painting the mural for a few months with the help of his wife, Neeka Dawn Villate.

"The city of Henderson congratulates Ozzy Villate with the unveiling of his work," said Andrea Primo, director of the Cultural Arts and Tourism Department. "It is a unique and colorful mural that has captured the essence, history and spirit of Henderson."

"Promise" stands at 50 feet long by 19 feet tall on the east wall of the Rainbow Club Casino. The mural is the newest installation of public art in the Water Street District. It joins the City Hall parking garage, Embarq building, 7-Eleven building, the Muffler Shop and Henderson Events Plaza, which have become canvases for murals depicting the progression of Henderson.

To contact the artist, call 300-2034 or e-mail ozzyvillate@yahoo.com.

Contact Henderson View reporter Lauren Romano at lromano@viewnews.com or 477-3839.