A trip to the dentist’s office is hardly an enjoyable experience, but the wall murals at Just Kids Dental Clinic Uptown are quite a remarkable distraction. Artist Luis Colmenares says his work brings “kind of, you know, a little New Orleans flair to the place.”
Colmenares and his 13-year-old daughter Emma decided to paint the walls of three different clinics to help the young patients feel more comfortable during their visit.
“We did a little second line here with the kids and then the piano keys, in other areas we have a saxophonist, we have a lot of New Orleans light poles, in the back we have a very large second line being done. If you’re scared of the dentist before you’re two or three years old, then you’ll grow up to be scared of dentists. If you walk into a place that’s happy and fun and has a little bit of life to it, the kids are a little more fun I think,” says Colmenares.
During every visit to the Just Kids, Luis and Emma add new detail to their wall murals that now wrap around just about every corner.
“If we can’t keep on giving then it’s not worth, you know I don’t want to be in my dungeon of a studio all the time, I want to be out doing some weird cool things,” says Colmenares who creates some really cool things, like movie props, and sculptures for celebrities.
“It’s pretty rewarding being able to make pieces of art for other artists.”
The time he spends painting with daughter Emma is sacred, a vibrant bond between them.
The other two offices that have been decorated by Luis and Emma are located in Kenner and Baton Rouge.