The story behind a mural at the American Legion Post 654, located on Campbell Road in the Spring Branch District, is one where art meets science.

The concept, said the mural’s artist, Natalia Victoria, developed in the winter of 2018 after she met Terry Chung, a veteran and member of Post 654.

Artist Natalia Victoria featured in a mural by Sebastien “Mr. D” Boileau at Warehouse 72 in the Spring Branch District

“He dropped into one of the paint parties I was hosting at a local beer garden, and we connected immediately over our passion in support of Veterans and Veteran-focused nonprofits,” Victoria said.

That’s when Chung first asked Victoria about doing a mural at the American Legion building. While eager to support this worthwhile cause, Victoria said such a project would require a lot of paint. Without funding to support this project, she filed the idea away.

Fast forward to August 2024, when Victoria was approached by Tanya Rodgers, a local NASA scientist and inventor of a new carbon capture paint to combat climate change. She was seeking support in promoting her environmentally friendly paint, The People’s CO2, and offered to support Victoria in return.

“This prompted me to get creative in my design to salute the troops and promote conservationism,” the artist said.

Victoria spent three weeks working on the American Legion mural, commuting an hour across town, climbing and descending ladders, and painting in hot temperatures on narrow scaffolding while also struggling with health issues and being a single mom.

“It was a bit rough,” she said.

The mural is a homage to former U.S. Presidents, who, after serving their country in the military, went on to spearhead the nation’s conservation efforts. From establishing national parks and monuments to passing meaningful legislation to protect the country’s limited natural resources, the environmental actions taken by the presidents are honored in the mural, called “Heroes In Boots,” and painted with a non-toxic paint that cleans the air of carbon dioxide.

“Producing this mural provided me with an experience that I am eternally grateful for, as it pushed me to recognize, yet again, what I am capable of,” Victoria said.

The artist, who is a roller skater and performance artist in addition to a painter, is known for her historic 1,100-mile skate from Houston to Chicago, the former hometown of her late mother.

“I consider myself very fortunate to have been granted all the opportunities I have had to become the artist I am. I have produced murals for big and small businesses, nonprofits, schools, residential, and the city of Houston,” Victoria said.

In addition to “Heroes in Boots,” you can also see some of Victoria’s work in the nocturnal exhibits at Houston’s Interactive Aquarium and Animal Preserve. The city of Houston also recognized her work with the Gulfton Story Trail Project and her mural, “The Garden of Paradise,” at 6711 Hornwood Dr.

Victoria has also been featured in art herself. Houston street artist Sebastien “Mr. D” Boileau painted her for a mural at Warehouse 72 restaurant in Spring Branch District.

She is currently working on several projects and hosts paint parties with A Pick & A Brush, a business she founded with her friend, a musician who plays live music.

Born into a family of creatives, Victoria said her mother was an artist, writer, and special education teacher, while her father was an engineer and musician. As a very young child, she attended classes with her mother at the University of Houston, drawing portraits alongside her in fine art class.

“My mom was the biggest support I had in being an artist. She submitted my first work of art to a public gallery in Downtown Houston by the time I was 5. I won first place in my elementary school for rodeo art in kindergarten and again in fifth grade,” Victoria said.

“I never saw those accomplishments as anything of relevance until over a decade into my career as an artist. I look back and see glimpses of foreshadowing and realize that being an artist is always who I was meant to be.”

— Dorothy Puch Lillig

Check out the “Heroes in Boots” mural at the American Legion Post 654, 3105 Campbell Rd.