Where to see Santa Cruz’s 19 ‘Sea Walls’ murals

Last fall, sea life murals began unfolding on the walls of the seaside city of Santa Cruz. Muralists from the Bay Area, as well as Oregon, Hawaii, North Carolina and even Austria converged for “Sea Walls: Artists for Oceans,” an urban beautification and environmental awareness project sponsored by the Hawaii-based PangeaSeed Foundation and Santa Cruz’s Made Fresh Crew, an artists collective.

The idea, says Santa Cruz artist Jimbo Phillips, is to convey the message that the planet’s oceans are in trouble, but do it “in a fun colorful way, so people will enjoy the image and then absorb the message.”

The results — 19 colorful, whimsical sea-inspired murals — include “Beyond Boundaries,” a mural by Oregon’s David Rice that highlights the decimation of the shark population. “The Last Salmon,” by North Carolina artist Brian “Jeks” Lewis,” warns of overfishing and rising sea levels. And Phillips’ eye-popping “Protect Our Oceans” is all about plastic pollution — and a heroic squid.

“The giant squid is ridding the sea of plastic, and the surfer and seal are stoked and are supporting him because the ocean is important to everyone,” Phillips said in his artist’s statement.

Here’s where to see the colorful, thought-provoking murals. (Locations are in Santa Cruz, unless otherwise noted.) Learn more about the project and download a map at https://seawalls.org.

“The Urchin Merchant” — Los Angeles-based Lauren YS’ mural about endangered kelp forests is at 2391 Mission St. in Santa Cruz.

“Chain of Events” — Oakland’s Griffin One, 2335 Mission St., endangered local marine life

“Protect Our Oceans” – Jimbo Phillips, 142 River St., plastic pollution

“Under Duality” — Santa Cruz’s Made Fresh Crew, 204 Church St., ocean stewardship

“Sea Lions / Patterns of Behavior” — Oakland’s Jet Martinez, 601 Front St., endangered marine life, plastic pollution

“The Last Salmon” — Jeks One of Greensboro, North Carolina, 601 Front St., overfishing

“Help Da Kelp” — Kai Kalukukui from Hilo, Hawaii, 601 Front St., species at risk

“Seven Sea Solstice” — Oakland’s Ricky Watts, 601 Front St., warming seas and sea level rise

“Weight of the World” — Santa Cruz’s Abi Mustapha, 435 Front St., environmental justice

“Beyond Boundaries” — David Rice, of Portland, Oregon, 435 Front St., shark conservation in partnership with the Save Our Seas Foundation

“The Warrior Archetype”— Nychos, from Vienna, Austria, 1010 Pacific Ave., ocean stewardship

“A Beneficial Snack” — Emeryville’s Alexandra Underwood and Joey Rose, 37 Municipal Wharf, local marine life

“As Above – So Below” — Los Angeles’ Shane Jessup, 619 Soquel Ave., oceans in crisis

“From the Mountains to the Sea, Keep Our Waters Plastic Free” — Oakland’s Madeleine Tonzi, 619 Soquel Ave., plastic pollution

“Let’s Solve the Dissolve” — Santa Cruz’s Caia Koopman, 730 Soquel Ave., ocean acidification

“Guardian of the Deep” — Oakland’s Zoe Boston, 1827 Soquel Ave., species at risk

“Protect What You Love” — Hannah Eddy, of Reno, Nevada, 1827 Soquel Ave., ocean stewardship

“Everything in Balance” — San Francisco’s Max Ehrman, 1501 41st Ave., Capitola, ocean acidification

“Ghost in the Forest” — Oakland’s Gats, 3621 Soquel Drive, Soquel, plastic pollution and kelp deforestation