LOS ANGELES — Restoring artists Russell Carlton’s 1987 Blue Moon Trilogy mural began in 2019. Now, Scott Haskins and his Fine Art Conservation Laboratories team have put the finishing touches on the final lower third of the mural which over the decades had been slowly disappearing.
“Eventually, it had so much graffiti on it that CalTrans painted it out with their famous CalTrans grey,” Haskins said, inspecting the final touches on the mural which is in an underpass of the 101 Freeway near the Hollywood Bowl.
Artist Carlton conceived the colorful, minimalistic mural as a kind of mythological journey of hope dedicated to those lost to and living with HIV/AIDS during the darkest days of the epidemic.
Restoring the mural was only part of the challenge, however. Giving it longevity was another goal. So, the restoration team used today’s more durable paints and created a protective anti-graffiti layer, which Haskins said will allow the community to more easily maintain the work going forward.
“Community support for this mural has been very exciting,” Haskins added.
As an art conservator, Haskins said his job is not about being creative. In fact, he said he has never made an original painting himself and does not hire artists for his restoration team.
“There is nothing creative about this work,” Haskins said. “This is all about respecting the original intent of the artist in every way.”
In creating the mural in 1987, Russell Carlton (who passed away in 1998) had teamed up with the then fledgling AIDS Project Los Angeles (ALPA) which has since blossomed into one of the largest nonprofit HIV service organizations in the U.S.
David Hubbard, Carlton’s partner at the time, still remembers those days well.
“God, it was the sort of the height of the AIDS crisis and he had friends who were sick and he had friends who were dying,” Hubbard recalled.
But Hubbard said the fears, frustrations and losses of the AIDS crisis did not dampen Carlton’s spirit.
“He was the antithesis of the angry young man,” Hubbard said. “He really was full of hope and light and wanted to kind of show that in his design.”
Hubbard was thrilled to see the mural’s return as a reminder of the past and a beacon for future generations.
“We can’t forget what happened in the height of the AIDS crisis and all those people that we lost,” he said. “That message of hope, to have the ability to move through difficult times and things, is just as important today. So, I’d hate for that mural to be lost.”
Scott Haskins and his team, with widespread city and community support, have done everything they can to make sure that will not happen and will continue to be a beacon of hope for future generations.