California artists celebrate Alysa Liu with murals

Artists in Los Angeles and Oakland have painted murals of Alysa Liu after her Olympic gold, including a viral work by Gustavo Zermeño Jr. and a new piece by Oakland collective the Illuminaries.

Artists in Los Angeles and Oakland have been creating murals of figure skater Alysa Liu following her Olympic gold. In Los Angeles, Gustavo Zermeño Jr. painted an image of Liu biting her medal that went viral. In Oakland, the Illuminaries collective began a Liu mural in the Temescal neighborhood after receiving many requests and social media tags. Liu is 20 years old, attends UCLA, trains in Oakland, and has been embraced locally after her Olympic performance. Known details: - Gustavo Zermeño Jr.'s Los Angeles mural depicts Liu biting her individual figure skating gold medal and drew wide online attention. - The Illuminaries, a mural and design collective in Oakland, started their own Liu piece in Temescal after fans asked them to take it on. - The Oakland group funded the project themselves and adapted the image in their own stylistic approach. - Liu returned to competitive skating after a prior retirement and became the first American woman in 20 years to win an Olympic singles figure skating medal. - The Illuminaries' new mural covers an earlier piece of Klay Thompson and the group said they plan to finish the Liu mural on Saturday. - Oakland is planning a community-wide celebration of Liu, and local artists described the murals as an expression of city pride. Summary: Murals in Los Angeles and Oakland have served as an artistic response to Alysa Liu's Olympic achievement and a way for local artists to show community pride. The Illuminaries expect to complete their Temescal mural on Saturday, and Oakland officials are planning a community-wide celebration of Liu.