High, Austin!
Get Camino Gummies Delivered
To celebrate the national launch of Camino hemp-infused gummies, we collaborated with the Austin-based
Taiwanese-American
artist and muralist
Candy Kuo.
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Candy is a Taiwan-born visual artist and muralist currently based out of Austin, Texas. Her pieces often feature strong female portraiture, bright colorways, playful depictions of local flora and fauna, as well as influences from pop culture and inspirations from her experiences growing up both overseas as well as in the Rio Grande Valley, exploring a multicultural style of East and Southwest. She has been painting murals professionally since 2016. Her main focus is aerosols, though she works in a variety of mediums. Her primary focus for the last 9 years has been murals and large-scale installations, traveling for festival installations, and collaborating with local organizations in public art and community renewal initiatives across the country. Her works often explore human nature and the symbiotic relationships we have with our world; her recent works seek to dissect and reflect on her identity as an immigrant, a female artist in a male-dominated industry, and as a mother, while engaging with the public through impactful story-telling.
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Candy has an extensive portfolio of publicly and privately commissioned art projects across the country. Many of these large-scale installations are permanent fixtures in local establishments and range from individual projects to full-scale installations that often require collaborating with other artists, designers, and agencies. In the last 7 years, she has completed over 100 mural projects and has been featured in press and festivals across the United States as well as Taiwan. From initial design to final execution, Candy has extensive experience working on each facet of the mural fabricating process. Her skills include painting on many different conditions of interior as well as exterior surfaces, prepping work areas and surfaces, operating scissor and boom lifts, executing the design, and integrating the client’s needs and vision for the space to best fit the branding, culture, or mission. Her completed projects have included numerous residential as well as commercial mural installations ranging from national brands to local businesses and organizations. She has worked with entities such as Huston-Tillotson University, Bumble, Austin City Limits, Downtown Austin Alliance, Jinro, The Moody Center, Vaseline, and Liquid Death, and was recently selected to be featured in inaugural mural festivals for many cities across the country.
“I loved the Camino Excite Wild Cherry Gummies!!”
- Candy Kuo, May 2024
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Q&A with
Candy Kuo
How would you like people to feel who view your mural?
I would absolutely love for people to experience a moment of escape when they see the finished design. I hope that with the use of bright colors, and the juxtoposition of the branding landmarks against my signature style will really paint a journey for the views to go on.
What interested you about the project with Kiva Confections?
It’s always great getting to work with companies that really take the time to do outreach with the communities, and I love that Kiva is collaborating with me to create this momentary escape for the viewers, and letting them discover the brand on their own. It’s a landmark opportunity, especially with the major changes surrounding legality in the state of Texas, and to be able to partner with a brand that not only is a leader in the market, but also one that genuinely cares about their products and what they put into it for their consumers really aligns with the messages I want to help create in this city.
How does the brand Kiva Confections and Camino align with you?
Knowing that Kiva takes major efforts towards quality control is something that I can whole-heartedly support. They want the best for their consumers and care about what they are putting in. In the ever-changing landscape of times these days, it can be hard to find consistency in products, but being able to trust in something that supplements not only your body but mind as well, I know I rest easier knowing that a company truly cares.
Have you heard of Kiva Confections and Camino prior to this project?
I have now and I can’t stop eating them!
Local Love
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What do you love about Austin and the local art scene? How long have you been involved?
I’ve been a part of the Austin art scene for over a decade now, and a part of the public art community since about 2016. I first started with mostly canvas work and art markets. After I learned to use aerosol, the possibilities really opened up. I love the scene here because even though it can be competitive, our peers are all still very supportive of each other. We often share events with each other or make referrals for jobs. It’s a great community. -
You just opened a new studio? Talk to us about that. Where is it located?
My partner and I just opened a private studio/gallery in East Austin. We’re called Hail Mary Social Club and we really want to showcase alternative artists and create a comfortable lowbrow aesthetic that we feel would really be at home in our city. We don’t know if we’ll have the space past the end of this year, but we’re really excited to venture into throwing events in our own space, our own way, while being able to showcase the many talented friends we know locally, as well as all our friends we’ve met while on the road painting murals all over. This is the first time we’ve had a space to create art that wasn’t our home. -
Do you have any other local work that we should point people to? Where is it?
I have painted work at Huston-Tillotson University, the Moody Center, as well as various smaller walls around town. A popular piece I painted of Leonardo DiCaprio as Romeo is located at the Riverside Taccorrido and seems to be a fan favorite. Another permanent mural currently resides outside of Lefty’s, and I have pieces on Holey Moley, the old Native Hostel, as well as in various bars downtown! -
Do you have any favorite activities or restaurants near South Congress you like to do/visit after enjoying a gummy?
We love to window shop and crowd watch, After the Pandemic we lost a couple of our favorite spots, but it’s a great way to catch food, shopping, and some sun all within walking distance.
What’s your take on the positive effects of cannabis?
“I fully support decriminalization! It seems odd at this point with so many legal alternatives that are indistinguishable from regular flower being consumed publicly, that it would be very hard to pursue prosecution. Supporting decriminalization of marijuana in Texas can lead to reduced strain on law enforcement resources, fewer non-violent offenders in the criminal justice system, and potential economic benefits through taxation and regulation.