T
here’s a place in the mind of the innovator that is
sacred. It’s a space where they can escape and jot
down every possible anecdote they’ve come across;
whether it be during that day or a few months back.
What runs through here is completely untouchable and protected
by its counterpart. As artists and visionaries know, their work can
often go unacknowledged. These creators have notoriety for being
unappreciated and overlooked. Fortunately, every now and then,
there appears a connoisseur who sends a shock to the creative world.
One, in particular, is Peru native, Diego Orlandini.
Creator of the Wynwood Coloring Book, Orlandini was struck by
The
Wynwood
Coloring
Book
Aims to Give Back
By Wendy Molina
inspiration in a unique way. As many may know, the Wynwood Walls
receive thousands of visitors every day – left in complete awe over
the street art. What’s unfortunate is having these folks leave this
incredible district with nothing but five rows of pictures in their
phones covering only parts of the murals. Those who know this
neighborhood well, know there is never going to be enough data on
our phones to capture every single one of the masterpieces on these
walls. So what better way to have this artwork as a keepsake than to
put them in a black and white coloring book?
Activated by the inventive and manic work of over 40 world-class artists
in Wynwood, Miami, Diego Orlandini set to work on this coloring book
project all with one of his trusted best friends Robyn Baltuch, sitting
in the street corners snapping pictures of the images they would later
digitally convert to create their coloring book. This colorless sketchbook
would be a way to represent these artists in a way they’ve never been
recognized before. On November 2015, he and a team that later came
together started grinding away [including the help of HGAB], dedicated
to getting the book up and running. With adult coloring books flying
off book store shelves everywhere, Diego and his team want to give
the public the opportunity to ignite the creativity in their minds and
release their stress and anxiety in a very different way. It gives us a few
moments of tranquility in our busy days of “adulting” to just sit back and
unleash our inner artist with the pieces we see and walk by every day.
“It has not been in any way an easy journey…
but it has been worth it every step of the way.”
14 Midtown Miami Magazine