Bursts of color saturate Carlsbad flower fields in new mural by Oceanside artist

Those big, beautiful elephants kept plodding a path through Michael Summers’ mind, and he finally found the right home for them — his new mural at The Flower Fields in Carlsbad.

The contemporary pop surrealist painter was commissioned to create “something original and unique,” giving him free rein to realize this vision, which he’s working on at the 55-acre working ranch and tourist attraction through March 29.

“I wanted the subject matter to be different than the murals I have painted in the past, while paying homage to the beauty of The Flower Fields and Southern California. After thinking about the space that I had and the environment where the mural would exist, I realized it was perfect for a redesign of a concept that I have had in mind for a few years now,” says Summers, whose “Catnap” mural in Carlsbad Village serves as one of his well-known works. “I have painted a few variations on this theme over the past few years, but nothing ever captured what I was trying to convey. I realize now that part of the issue was the scale. Murals are much larger than the scale on which I usually paint, and I realized that working at this much larger scale would allow me to bring forth the impressive majesty that this concept requires.”

The concept for this 12-foot by 13-foot mural features a family of elephants walking along a path lined with multi-colored ranunculus flowers, with rolling hills in the distance, he says. The background is inspired by the Southern California horizon, there’s a nod to the hills of The Flower Fields, and the two adult elephants “have their trunks raised, emitting a spray of rainbow paint and butterflies, and creating a fountain of color falling onto the ranunculus flowers, coloring them and bringing them to life” with a baby elephant peeking from behind the bull elephant.

Summers, 49, is a full-time artist living in Oceanside, and he took some time to talk about this latest project, the creative inspiration that strikes in his work, the compulsion to create, and balancing the joy and melancholy of life.

Q: Your work is known for being especially vibrant and rich in color, as are The Flower Fields; what was your process for conceptualizing this mural?

A: It was imperative to include the beautiful ranunculus flowers that The Flower Fields are known for, and I wanted to give a nod to its rolling hills in the distance, while meshing the hyper-saturated rainbow color of my art with the colors of The Flower Fields. My paintings are surreal in nature, but I am always aiming to try to take something implausible and make it seem possible or natural. You wouldn’t normally see elephants at The Flower Fields or in Southern California, or spraying butterflies and rainbow rain for that matter, but the fun is creating the painting in such a way that the elephants will look natural and at home in their environment.

Q: Where did you draw inspiration from for this work?

A: Besides drawing direct inspiration from the beauty, colors, and scope of The Flower Fields, a lot of my inspiration for this mural was drawn from my love for Southern California. I wanted to reference the SoCal blue skies with big, puffy clouds and the sense of vastness and distance you get when you’re driving along certain big, empty stretches of the I-5 or I-15 freeways with the ocean or mountains in the distance. As for the elephants themselves, a lot of reference photos I used were photos I took during outings to the San Diego Zoo or Safari Park. Also, when I’m creating, I typically listen to American Roots music by artists such as Tom Waits (also a San Diegan), Bob Dylan, or Johnny Cash, which I think many folks would find surprising, as my paintings often probably look more like the soundtrack should be ABBA or KC & the Sunshine Band (artists I also love).

What I love about Oceanside...

What I love most about Oceanside is that, pretty much any time, I can strap my easel and paints to my bicycle and ride down to the beach and paint. Most of the year, the weather is nice enough so that if the mood strikes, I can do that pretty much any time if I don’t feel like being in my studio. Most of the time, you will find me in my studio alone, that’s how I prefer it; but when I want to be around people, I can pop out and immediately get some great food and just paint and be outdoors in fantastic weather and take in the vibe of an awesome coastal community.

Q: What do you hope people see/experience once your mural at The Flower Fields has been completed?

A: My philosophy on creating art is that inspiration strikes, the artist creates, and after that, the art no longer belongs to the artist. When an artist says what their paintings are about, they are almost doing a disservice to the viewer, because innately everyone who looks at a work of art is going to have their own aesthetic reaction. Everyone will look at it and tell different stories, and that is great. That is what art should do. I think everyone should experience art personally through the lens of their own life and experience. One thing I will say is that when I am painting, I am almost always trying to convey joy. And by that, I don’t mean simple mindless, pleasure-seeking joy, but the deep joys of life, such as the joy of nature, discovery, wonder, or connection. But I really feel that what an artist is trying to accomplish is the least important part of a painting. The important part is what the viewer sees and feels, and it will be different for everyone, which is amazing and wonderful. My art is very much a rebellion against “art that needs to be explained.” The viewer will create their own story and have their own feelings, but ultimately, joy is a common theme.

Q: Your website mentions a tendency for you to “create deceptively whimsical paintings, alive with hidden meaning” and that “within each vibrant scene are playful reminders that our everyday lives are filled with wonder, beauty, and magic, if only we allow our eyes to see it.” What are some ways that you’ve recently been reminded of the wonder, beauty, and magic in your own everyday life?

A: To be honest, this is a difficult question. As much as I talk about wonder, beauty, magic, and joy in my paintings, I also think it is important to note that there is always a little bit of melancholy in every piece. A lot of people don’t seem to notice it, and you don’t always see it, but it is there. Life is life and that means it doesn’t always feel wonderful, beautiful, magical, or joyous, so I always have his little hint of melancholy included because, to me, it is more honest. I want to project joy, but I don’t want to pretend that the world is always joyous, or everyone should always have to feel happy. It’s OK to be sad, it’s OK to recognize and feel melancholy. That dynamic, that balance, is what brings about the true joy and beauty of life.

Q: Are there artists (locally, or outside of the region) whose art you’re a fan of?

A: I am very inspired by Japanese ukiyo-e woodblock art, and also artists of the Renaissance and Baroque periods. My absolute favorite artist is the Italian painter Caravaggio. His work is stunningly filled with pathos and humanity and pain and explores the extremes of human existence. Some of his paintings are so heartbreakingly beautiful they are painful to look at. He has captured something that speaks to me, in an incredibly profound way, about the nature of the human condition, despite his relatively small body of work. Given my style of work, those who are familiar with Caravaggio are often surprised by this, but if you look at my entire body of work, since the start of my career, the influence is there.

Q: What is the best advice you’ve ever received?

A: This is kind of funny, but the best advice I have received as an artist is, “There is no such thing as an art emergency.” No one dies if a painting doesn’t get there on time. Art is a vehicle for so many things — emotion, imagination, introspection, connection — but no one is going to die if they don’t see it. Also, Steven Pressfield’s book, “The War of Art,” is my “artist’s bible,” if you will. He very concisely and eloquently breaks down the artistic process and inspiration, and the struggle to create versus all the other things in life that are the roadblocks that keep you from creating.

Q: What is one thing people would be surprised to find out about you?

A: That I’m a huge nerd? Actually, most likely no one would be surprised to find that out. How about the fact that my family hasn’t been in the U.S. all that long? My mother’s family came over from Sicily in the 1920s and my father immigrated to the U.S. when he was 12. I am second-generation, U.S. born on my mother’s side and first-generation, U.S. born on my father’s side.

Q: Please describe your ideal San Diego weekend.

A: My ideal weekend is pretty much the same regardless of where I am in the world: 48 hours of rain, me not having to go anywhere, not having any deadlines, in my studio with an easel, a board, a palette, and some good music at my disposal, usually alone, or sometimes with a couple of other artists to create with.