NAHL New Mexico Ice Wolves

"Spirit of New Mexico" Hand Painted Mural Celebrating Iconic New Mexico Culture to be Centerpiece at Outpost Ice Arena in Albuquerque

Published on May 13, 2026 under North American Hockey League (NAHL)
New Mexico Ice Wolves News Release


(Albuquerque, NM) - Outpost Ice Arenas today announced the start of "Spirit of New Mexico" hand painted mural celebrating New Mexico by Albuquerque artist Johnpaul Gutierrez who begins outlining and painting today, Wednesday, May 13, 2026 with the community invited to watch the mural come to life during public skate sessions. The "Spirit of New Mexico" will span a total of 4,200 square feet across the east wall of the north arena making it among the largest indoor murals in the state. The mural will feature iconic New Mexico culture from the Albuquerque area with a breathtaking sunset lighting up the famous Sandia mountains with nods to our area's biggest tourist attractions including the Sandia Tram, the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, Rainbow Ryders and more. The mural will also prominently depict the Rio Grande river with brilliant yellow fall foliage lining its shores and a nod to Albuquerque's rich 300-plus-year history with the San Felipe de Neri Parish in Old Town.

The State of New Mexico Tourism Department is a major contributor to "Spirit of New Mexico" providing details on the state's new Centennial balloon and the NM True balloon that are featured in the mural with the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, NM Ice Wolves, KOB4-TV, Sandia Tram, Rainbow Ryders, Creamland Dairies and more providing essential help with photos, input and ultimately their blessings of the mural.

In addition to being able to watch Gutierrez paint during public skate sessions there is also a live feed camera set up giving the public the opportunity to watch the entire painting process on the websites for the Outpost Ice Arena, both NM Ice Wolves team sites and the team's official YouTube page Wednesday - Outpost Ice Arenas today announced the start of "Spirit of New Mexico" hand painted mural celebrating New Mexico by Albuquerque artist Johnpaul Gutierrez who begins outlining and painting today, Wednesday, May 13, 2026 with the community invited to watch the mural come to life during public skate sessions. The "Spirit of New Mexico" will span a total of 4,200 square feet across the east wall of the north arena making it among the largest indoor murals in the state. The mural will feature iconic New Mexico culture from the Albuquerque area with a breathtaking sunset lighting up the famous Sandia mountains with nods to our area's biggest tourist attractions including the Sandia Tram, the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, Rainbow Ryders and more. The mural will also prominently depict the Rio Grande river with brilliant yellow fall foliage lining its shores and a nod to Albuquerque's rich 300-plus-year history with the San Felipe de Neri Parish in Old Town. The State of New Mexico Tourism Department is a major contributor to "Spirit of New Mexico" providing details on the state's new Centennial balloon and the NM True balloon that are featured in the mural with the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, NM Ice Wolves, KOB4-TV, Sandia Tram, Rainbow Ryders, Creamland Dairies and more providing essential help with photos, input and ultimately their blessings of the mural. In addition to being able to watch Gutierrez paint during public skate sessions there is also a live feed camera set up giving the public the opportunity to watch the entire painting process on the websites for the Outpost Ice Arena, both NM Ice Wolves team sites and the team's official YouTube page. There will also be a final timelapse of the entire project once completed. The public skate sessions at Outpost Ice Arena to watch Gutierrez paint are below in Mountain Time zone with more details at outposticearena.com: Monday - Thursday - 1:45pm - 3:30pm

Fridays - Noon - 1:30pm and 3:15 - 4pm Johnpaul Gutierrez is a self-taught artist born and raised in Albuquerque, NM. He began his artistic journey as a child drawing his favorite comic book characters and Saturday morning cartoons. After being introduced to graffiti, Johnpaul set out to push his creative limits through color and absurd characters. Inspiration struck again after discovering traditional drawing and painting techniques while also learning how to draw the human form. After finding an immense love for art history Gutierrez began building his technical abilities and combining that with his love for cartoons and comics. After a few chance meetings he began painting murals for Route 66 Casino and various casinos for the Laguna Pueblo. He also painted murals and various other projects for Evangeline Downs Racetrack and Casino in Opelousas, Louisiana. The biggest mural he contributed to was the exterior of the Lowe's hardware store on the Westside of Albuquerque. From murals, faux painting walls in residences and restaurants to gallery artist and freelancer he has garnered a wide range of experiences and abilities. To this day he continues to marry traditional art techniques with a surreal, illustrative cartoon style utilizing various mediums and techniques.

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