Argentinian artist Marcos Zamudio found himself in the U.S. when the pandemic hit. Two years later, he’s painted his biggest project yet on South Padre Island.

Zamudio painted three smaller murals throughout the hotel's outdoor area before taking on his largest work – a roughly 2,000 sq. ft. mural on the side of the Marriott.

"The idea was to tell a story that relates to South Padre Island, so that when people look at this, they immediately know it represents the island,” Zamudio said.

Zamudio incorporated key elements like redfish, turtles, and the Christ of the fisherman statue that's at Isla Blanca. It only took him 14 days of work to paint all 2,000 sq. ft., but it happened over the span of a month and a half.

"A lot of times I came to work and it ended up raining, so I couldn't keep painting and I had to go home,” Zamudio said. “So, that was a little frustrating because it took a lot longer to finish."

That wasn't the only thing that slowed him down.

"It's very humid here, so a lot of times after painting, when I came back the next day, the paint had completely run," Zamudio said. "So I had to go back and fix it again."

Zamudio says he hopes his work will inspire others.

"I would love for this place to fill up with art––and for more people to paint murals––or arrange for their walls to be painted with one," Zamudio said. "It's something that really makes a place beautiful and gives it identity and I think that's great."

The mural can be seen from Clayton's at South Padre Island. For the best view, Zamudio suggests looking at it from the left side where the turtles are.

Zamudio says it's meant to give you the sensation that you're underwater looking through the eyes of a fish.