“El Arbol” (The Tree) by J. Muzacz, 2019

“El Arbol” (The Tree) by J. Muzacz is located in the lobby of the new City of Georgetown Municipal Court building.  The mosaic tile mural was commissioned by the Georgetown Arts and Culture Board as part of the expanding public art program that incorporates public art into the design of public spaces.

The El Árbol mosaic mural was inspired by a well-known vista from the Jim Hogg Campground at Lake Georgetown. The photographic reference was initially taken by Roger Engdahl as he and his wife camped there on a nationwide RV tour. After receiving permission to adapt his image for this mural, I digitally manipulated the landscape so that the pixels making up the image matched the 3/4 inch glass tiles you see in the mural and used that as reference while placing each square. The 50,000 unique glass pieces you see here represent the diversity of Georgetown and were sourced from suppliers all over the country – of Italian, Chinese and Mexican origin. The tiles were then hand-placed over a three-month period and installed using trade techniques.