Originally published in the San Antonio Heron
“The Last Parade” by muralist Rudy Herrera is the latest downtown public art project to be completed as part of Centro San Antonio’s “Art Everywhere” initiative. Standing 70 feet wide and roughly 100 feet tall, Herrera portrays integral aspects of his life in vibrant colors, honoring his wife, son and his heritage in the abstract work on the side of the Kress building on East Houston Street.
Symbolism flows through the eclectic colors chosen by Herrera. The mural portrays a Native American woman, her heart as a guiding light, riding a blue deer, which is a common element in indigenous culture, symbolizing medicinal and spiritual rituals.
Herrera wasn’t always an artist. Before pursuing art, he worked at McDonald’s during the day and at Bakery Lorraine on the overnight shift, baking bread in the early mornings.
“I was working … just riding my bike all around town just to get to these two jobs,” Herrera said. “I ended up staying (at Bakery Lorraine) for four years … I was basically a kitchen manager of the overnight shift and second shift, which is mostly bread production.”
About six years ago, Herrera broke from his
