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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

The Verve: Miranda anything but walled in by his art

Trevor Miranda uses aerosol paint to create a fashion-themed mural at Glamarita, a boutique in the Garland District, on Jan. 20. Miranda, originally from Texas, is going to barber school and contemplating enlisting in the military, but has always done his art on the side. (Jesse Tinsley)
Jennifer Larue

The sound is unmistakable: metal balls rattling in a can as it’s shaken followed by the hiss as color is released. Recently, the sound could be heard coming from Glamarita, 911 ½ W. Garland Ave., where artist Trevor Miranda was getting busy on an interior wall.

One hand held a sketch, the other released magic from a can, representing the artist’s take on the business’s focal points with universal imagery of handmade fashion. The style is street-inspired and demonstrates Miranda’s passion for coloring the world and leaving his mark.

The son of a military man, Miranda, 24, grew up in San Antonio. He played football but began focusing on art in his senior year of high school when he started attending an after-school art program led by a reformed gang member.

“It was an inner-city school filled with a bunch of knuckleheads, including me,” he said. “He taught us how to channel our energy onto walls and canvases.”

Miranda also took classes in business and marketing, and began selling spray paint. Through his customers, he learned a lot and began using his supplies. He also began hosting art festivals and coordinating murals out of a recreational center.

He got together a crew of artists that became a collective called Awfset, a diverse group that aims to “radiate a positive presence and good vibes” through art, music and video. Raw yet controlled and culturally inspired, the group also aims to give young artists a place to remain open-minded while keeping it professional. Sponsored by a company called the Paint Yard, Awfset members participate in dozens of art and music events bringing culture and diversity to others.

In March 2013, Miranda moved to the Inland Northwest. His younger brother is stationed at Fairchild Air Force Base. Since arriving, he has painted a mural at Fairchild and another on Main Avenue in downtown Spokane along with another artist. He is studying to be a barber, adding shears to his arsenal of cans.

He will go back to Texas in a month or so to continue his artistic endeavors and his barber schooling, but will return to the Spokane area for art projects. Soon, he’ll be going on tour with Awfset.

He said his main motivations are friends and family, traveling, meeting and learning from others, and adding color to an often drab world.

“I know I’ll do big things and I also know I’ve got a long way to get to where I want to be,” he said, “but with everything I do and who I am as a person and an artist, I’ll get to where I’m going.”

On Feb. 7, Miranda will join 23 other artists at a reception for an art show called Artery Anatomy at Bon Bon, 924 W. Garland Ave., sponsored by Rage City Tattoo and Just Canvas.

The show will feature artwork in many styles and mediums on 2-foot-tall handcut and -sanded wooden hearts, some of them broken.

“Our work tells our stories,” Miranda said.