CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — A Corpus Christi artist is doing his part to help honor the 21 lives taken during the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde.
The massive mural project is being done through the Austin based non profit Mas Cultura.
Corpus Christi artist Jeremy Flores was among those selected from across the state tasked with memorializing each life tragically taken. The weight of the responsibility is something Flores does not take likely.
"I did a little bit of thinking and talked to my family, this is definitely something I want to bring over there to those victims," Flores said.
Residents who visit downtown Corpus Christi are sure to be familiar with his larger than life artwork.
"I know what it's like to lose someone in your family, never that young, but losing a child can be very rough giving a little bit back to them," Flores said.
21 painted portraits that will stand over 20 feet tall will be displayed on the sides of buildings in Uvalde. The child Flores is painting is Jose Manuel Flores, who was one of the 19 children killed in the mass shooting.
During 3NEWS' coverage in Uvalde we were able to speak with Angela Cordoa, a relative of Jose Flores.
"My niece lost her son, his name was Jose Flores, he was in 4th grade," Cordoa said.
"Fact that he has the same last name hit home," Flores said.
He added that the non profit he was contracted by has been working with the families of the victims for this project to help each artist really get to know the faces.
Most importantly, who they were, what they loved, and what they wanted to do.
"Really bring as much as Jose as I can, he wanted to be a police officer, always laughing, bring those parts of his personality that most people would normally be able to see the rest of his life," Flores said.
Taking his skills from Corpus Christi to his fellow Texans in Uvalde, Flores plans to bring comfort to those families and the community.
"Bringing some art from Corpus and let them know we are here for them as well, as a community as a city we are there for them as well," Flores said.
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