Also a painter, the Lubbock native has crafted three large murals on the buildings of San Angelo businesses. Her first mural, a Marilyn Monroe-inspired piece, can be found on the side of Pure Salon & Boutique on Concho Street downtown.
“That one is probably my favorite,” Rumsey said. “I was thinking it was just a little corner. I didn’t really have time to comprehend that I was about to paint a 40-foot wall.”
Her second mural is featured on the side of Coffee 101 on Main Street downtown. Her latest mural is located on the side of the Texas Trust Credit Union ATM on West Loop 306.
“I paint whatever they want me to paint,” Rumsey said. “That’s why they’re all so different. For the coffee shop, I wanted it to be bold because I wanted to get people’s attention. The ATM is San Angelo-themed. It has longhorns, bluebonnets and a sunset.”
“I just kind of smile when I see them. I’m like, ‘Yeah that’s mine!’”
Presley Rumsey
When asked how she feels when she sees her art on such a large public platform, Rumsey smiles.
“It’s pretty cool,” she said. “I just kind of smile when I see them. I’m like, ‘Yeah that’s mine!’ It’s also unbelievable because I’m like, ‘I did that.’”
Rumsey is also smiling because she is realizing an artistic passion she has had from a very young age.
“I did a lot of drawing,” Rumsey continued. “I wasn’t amazingly good – I mean, I was decent enough to get into competitions, but I never won. I really loved doing it.”
However, during her junior year of high school, her passion shifted.
“We got a painting project,” Rumsey said. “I just fell in love with it. I didn’t touch paint before then.”
“I taught myself,” she continued. “I took a lot of pictures from Pinterest and I’d try to mimic it. The more I did it, the more I could. I started drawing a bit more and started making it my own style.”
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Brittney Miller
Brittney Miller is a marketing specialist at Angelo State University.
Email Brittney at brittney.miller@angelo.edu.
