Alternative Surfaces: Artist Becca Dwyer Takes Her Painting Skills Beyond Canvasses

By Frank Sabatini Jr.

On a recent Saturday afternoon we encountered a couple of young artists meticulously painting a set of utility boxes on Goldfinch Street in Mission Hills. One of the artists was Becca Dwyer, who previously created a mock-up of the design on paper before it was approved by the Mission Hills Business Improvement District. The design features pale-gold finches perched on tree branches, and set against a muted-green background. In the end a pleasing, aesthetic outcome was achieved on the otherwise cold-looking metal boxes.

In our chat with the nature-loving painter, we learned that utility boxes barely scratch the surface, so to speak, of the wide variety of objects Dwyer skillfully transforms into detailed works of art.

Her brushstrokes—some of them strenuously minuscule—show up around San Diego on everything from footwear and electric guitars, to bicycles, riding helmets, hats, vinyl records and more. Sometimes it’s for charity, and sometimes it’s for profit.

Dwyer’s talents extend also to social-media marketing, which she uses to generate a fair amount of art sales outside of her day job.

Throughout our chat, we found Dwyer’s professional journey and charitable spirit to be an inspiration to anyone with a thirst for creativity.

Downtown Condo Guys: What kind of artist do you consider yourself?

Dwyer: I am a visual artist who is inspired by nature. I tend to go for lighter color palettes—ones that include greens and blues. Many of my works are collaborative and I want my art to make people happy.

Downtown Condo Guys: Is being an artist your full-time job?

Dwyer: I work for ArtReach in Hillcrest as their marketing and social media coordinator. I started out by painting murals for them as a volunteer, and then I was a paid coordinator for their presence at ArtWalk San Diego in Little Italy, Liberty Station and Carlsbad. Last year I was promoted to marketing/social media specialist.

Downtown Condo Guys: How long did it take you to finish painting those utility boxes on Goldfinch Street?

Dwyer: We started painting on Friday and finished on Sunday of that weekend. It was with the help of two local artists. It’s part of the ‘Birds of Mission Hills Wayfinding Art Box Project’

Downtown Condo Guys: How many more utility boxes will be painted throughout Mission Hills for the project?

Dwyer: There is a proposal by the Mission Hills BID to have 10 boxes painted. It will depend on funding after getting approval by SDG&E.

Downtown Condo Guys: On a scale of 1 to 10—with 10 being the most unsightly—how would you rate the visuals of unpainted utility boxes on our urban landscapes?

Dwyer: Boxes that are unpainted, a 5. People don’t notice them because they’re neutral. But the ones that are really old and tagged are a 10 because they are very ugly and bad.

Downtown Condo Guys: Other than utility boxes, walls and canvasses, tell us about some of the other objects you paint?

Dwyer: I started painting shoes and donating them to annual charity auctions for ArtReach and the Oceanside Museum of Art. I’m using the tiniest brushes you’ve ever seen to create the outlines and details for them. I paint on the big brands like Nike and Vans, and I use a high-quality leather acrylic paint from Angelus Direct. Their paint is formulated to bend and flex on different materials.

Downtown Condo Guys: Have those big shoe companies taken note of your work?

Dwyer: Not that I know of, but I would like them too. I’m always tagging them on social media for all the shoes that I do.

Downtown Condo Guys: Do you usually map out the design and color scheme for footwear? Or do your clients request specific designs?

Dwyer: A little of both. Sometimes they’ll tell me their favorite movie or send me an inspirational image. But I always do my own digital sketch and send it to them for approval. I’ve also sometimes been given just a company name, and I’ll work from that to incorporate their color palette, logo and mission statement. I encourage clients to put their own individuality somewhere into the designs.

Downtown Condo Guys: How, and for whom, do you paint electric guitars?

Dwyer: They are all privately owned. The first two I did were part of an ArtReach charity auction. Another was for a local San Diego artist who wanted a custom-painted guitar. The guitars are all wood-based surfaces. I work with just the base of the guitars and then they are reassembled after I sand, prime, and paint them with acrylics. After that, I finish them with a high-gloss spray varnish.

Some of the other things I paint are skateboards, bicycles, bike helmets, vinyl records, trashcans, and tiles.

Downtown Condo Guys: What objects do you find are the most difficult to paint?

Dwyer: Utility boxes are challenging because I have a 9-to-5 job and I try to get them done in three days. They’re always dirty before I start painting, so I have to clean them up first. They may not be difficult to actually paint in comparison to my other types of projects, but the size of them and painting on the street can be physically demanding. They are not like painting an indoor mural with air conditioning or doing paintings from my room.

Downtown Condo Guys: Are there any objects that you’ve never painted, but would someday like to?

Dwyer: Oh yeah. I have two on my list. One is mailboxes and the other are those free libraries that people put in their front yards.

Downtown Condo Guys: We see on your website that you have worked with a few well-known companies.

Dwyer: Yes. Joann [Fabrics and Crafts] had sent me a whole box of supplies in exchange for social media exposure. Also, Nekter reached out and asked if I wanted to collaborate on a giveaway of painted shoes that I designed. And for Disney, I was contracted to do part of a worldwide campaign to advertise Season 3 of The Mandalorian.

Downtown Condo Guys: How much business do you attract from your personal website and social media presence?

Dwyer: I would say 70 percent from my website and 30 percent from social media platforms such as Tik Tok and Instagram.

Downtown Condo Guys: What advice would you give to artists when it comes to promoting their works?

Dwyer: Be intentional with how you are showing your work. Taking photos of your works in natural sunlight can do wonders. Also, if you can, share the story behind your piece because that is what will draw people in. And…don’t compare yourself to other artists because people don’t want copies of what they are already doing. Why would you try to do the same thing as them?

Downtown Condo Guys: Any particular art goals you’ve set for yourself in the coming years?

Dwyer: I would love to add more major brands to my resume. I would also love to dive deeper into my inspiration and expand on my art style based on San Diego nature and my travels abroad. I will always be creating. But what that looks like in the future will change depending on how I’m feeling. Right now it’s painting. And I love it. But if it’s not serving me, then I will try a different medium, which is okay because I’ve experimented with a lot of them already.