With mural projects, Barboza first comes up with an idea. Then he decides aesthetically how he wants it to look. “The most difficult part is the design process. That’s where the wheels of creativity and inspiration spin. I play with ideas. I let myself fail. I have hundreds of awful designs on my iPad, for my eyes only.” “I work on any mural on my iPad always,” he describes. “I designed the Yukon grain elevator mural in about a day or two. Then the fear factor kicks in. How am I gonna pull this off?” Meticulous in his design process, Barboza considers composition and symmetry, and how the eye will move across the wall. “I use a grid system or projector to draw a raw outline of the design.” Although widely known as a muralist, Barboza still paints and draws, and he creates digital illustrations and traditional pencil on paper work. It’s hard to pin down what he can accomplish because his talents are so diverse. His acrylic on canvas, titled “Johnny and June,” is noteworthy. And his oil on canvas of his father, who left everything behind in Costa Rica for the sake of Barboza and his two older sisters, is stunning. There is so much artistic energy and passion evolving in Barboza’s soul that each new project he completes is more incredible than the previous. “It takes consistency and hard work to reap rewards. I always use the quote in the movie ‘Field of Dreams.’ ‘If you build it, they will come.’” “Being an immigrant and witnessing the hardships my parents endured informs everything I do,” Barboza says. “I want to make a name for myself. I want it all to have been worth it.” “Johnny and June.” Acrylic on canvas. (Courtesy Carlos Barboza) 8