Asked by her previous manager to paint three walls of the original BYU–Hawaii cafeteria where she used to work, Esther Mungamuri said her favorite is called “the ulu tree and the girl.” She explained the painting is one of three murals she did and features a girl picking fruits under an ulu tree and putting them in a basket on her lap and beside her are the ipu and the uli uli, two Hawaiian instruments. The painting took her about a month to complete, Mungamuri added.
She explained the murals “the ulu tree and the girl” and “surfs up” were painted because her previous manager wanted to feature different aspects of the island. The “surfs up” mural features the surfing culture on the island, and the waves on the painting are made of rainbow colors from popular shave ice, she explained.
The third mural is called “aloha.” She said the purpose of this mural is for guests to see the welcoming word painted on the middle of the wall when they eat at the cafeteria.
The universal language to inspire
Mungamuri, a sophomore from Taiwan majoring in visual arts with a concentration in painting, said she always knew she had a passion for drawing.
Even after trying different activities such as basketball, swimming, violin and piano, she said she never forgot her love for art. “I think that’s how you find your talent. You try everything, but you still love that one.”
Mungamuri said she would not survive without art in the world because she is not good with words, writing, numbers or the Mandarin language. She said she sees art as a universal language. “You don’t need to translate [art]. You just see it, and you know it,” she explained.
The goal of her art, she said, is “to inspire people and give [them] a warm and happy feeling” because there are already too many bad things happening in people’s lives.
Expression turned passion
Mungamuri said she started drawing when she was 5 years old. She shared, “One time, I drew on the wall in my house because I wanted to express whatever was on my mind.” She explained that was where her passion started.
Today, Mungamuri explained she does portraits, illustrations and comics using charcoal, watercolor, ink, digital art and a little bit of oil. She said her favorite medium is watercolor and ink because both use a lot of water and she loves the movement of the water on the paper.
To see what no one else sees
Mitzi Lilian Yañez Lizama, a sophomore from Chile majoring in psychology, said Mungamuri, who was her dorm unit mate, has an extraordinary ability to notice details and capture emotion. She said, “I had never met someone like her. For example, I was so impressed with the mural she made in the cafeteria. … She’s going to be something big in the future.”
Mungamuri proposed the idea of making a portrait illustration of Yañez Lizama, which she said she agreed to do. Not only did she like the finished portrait, but she said she was also very impressed with it. “She has a talent to show emotions in her drawings, like in the eyes and smiles. Something that caught my attention was when she told me it was pretty hard to draw my smile.”
She said Mungamuri told her she has a special smile and her teeth were organized in an uncommon way. She said she found it cool Mungamuri had noticed small details others usually didn’t. “She has this gift or talent to see what nobody else does. … I was just so amazed,” Yañez Lizama added.
Dedicated and inspired
Tatum Sammons Jensen, a senior from Arizona majoring in communications, said it is very inspiring for her to see Mungamuri’s dedication in art class.
“She was always doing an extra painting,” she said. “As I was coming in late at night, she was always there in the classroom working on something, either for the watercolor class or something else.’’
She said she thinks Mungamuri could have taught the class because she was already so skillful. At the same time, she added Mungamuri is very humble and willing to be critiqued and learn more as an artist.
Mungamuri gave advice for others who want to get into art. “If you want to have control of your pencil and of your material, you need to get to know them first. You need to use them every day.”
Mungamuri’s main inspiration for her art is Norman Rockwell, who she said is an American illustrator and oil painter. She said she likes stories, and whenever she sees Rockwell’s work she feels like she is watching a movie.
“One of my favorite pieces of art is called ‘The Gossips,’ which is one of [Rockwell’s] paintings,” she said. “You can see from the beginning the gossip goes through every single person and at the end is a totally different story.’’ •