Redlands muralist brings walls to life with vibrant scenes

By JULIE FARREN

REDLANDS, Calif. — Larry Dierdorff can take a blank wall and turn it into a work of art.

Dierdorff, 78, did just that this past summer when he created a mural on the back of The Treatment Skin Care building at 129 State St. The mural was commissioned by owner Bud Feldkamp.

“Bud said to me, ‘I want you to paint a rock wall,’” Dierdorff recalled. “So I did.” But his imagination didn’t stop there. He added a tree with roses and butterflies, a cat emerging from a hole in one of the rocks, and a dog and a rabbit standing on a ledge. He even included a pumpkin for Halloween and Santa for Christmas.

“This wall will be ongoing,” said Dierdorff, who moved to Redlands in 1964.

He grew up in Medford, Oregon, with his parents, Gerald and Fay Dierdorff, and his siblings, Todd and Barbara. He graduated from high school in Sunnyside, Washington, before enrolling at the University of Redlands.

Dierdorff initially pursued a degree in psychology but ultimately earned a bachelor’s in communicative disorders. He became a psychotherapist and worked with children with disabilities in the Riverside Unified School District.

He later transitioned to teaching, spending 22 years at Mariposa Elementary School and 14 years at A.B. Miller High School in Fontana.

At Mariposa, he began painting murals on the playground’s ball walls, featuring giant frogs and orange crate labels.

Dierforff retired in 2012 and began devoting himself to his work in art. He has since painted more than 200 murals throughout the Inland Empire, including in San Bernardino, Moreno Valley and Ontario.

The mural behind The Treatment Skin Care building began in early September and was completed in December.

Much of his painting is weather-dependent. He typically paints six-hour days but  has to be careful not to paint during the heat of the day.

Passersby often stop to admire his work. “Mostly, they don’t ask me questions,” Dierdorff said. “They just tell me how much they enjoy it.”

Mariposa Elementary is filled with Dierdorff’s murals.

One of his most prominent pieces of art is on the side of the building housing Jack’s Toy Shop next to Ed Hales Park on State Street.

While working on that project, he uncovered lettering from the 1970s that read “The Western Star and Soap.” Dierdorff said the mural is due for a touch-up soon.

Feldkamp has commissioned Dierdorff for various projects, including one at 336 Orange St., said Ben Calamore, property administrator for the Feldkamp family.

You can explore more of Dierdoff's work here.

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