Paul Botello
A brief introduction…
I am a Mexican-American artist and educator and I was born and presently reside in East Los Angeles.
My works on canvas and paper have been exhibited in galleries and museums throughout California and the world. My last solo art exhibit was in July of 2021 at The Eastern Projects Gallery in Chinatown (Los Angeles). I have schedule sole exhibition in March 2025 at the Ave. 50 Gallery.
I have executed 50 murals within the last 35 years. One of my largest mural “ We Believe in you” 12/2022 is 52 feet high by 50 feet wide and is located at Esteban Torres high school in ELA. I just completed a mural for USC Chan Occupational Therapy and Occupational Science campus.
I have created over 15 murals with my students.
My murals have been featured in many movies such as “La La Land” an Academy winner, in history books, they have also been published in various books, magazines and newspaper articles and a repeated segment of KCET’s “Sesame Street”. The segment is a demonstration of the mechanics and execution of a mural.
I am an educator and I have taught Chicano Art History at the Claremont Colleges for 11 years part time and I have been a full time Art teacher at the high school level. As a muralist I am constantly recruiting aspiring young artists to assist with my murals, hoping to pass the legacy of the mural tradition to future generations of young artists. I also hope that this will instill pride, commitment and self- confidence among the young people that I work with.
My works are symbolic narratives that examine both public and personal themes, from pertinent social issues to more intimate matters. My methodology combines the dynamic interfacing of expressive lines creating a configuration or pattern unifying the surface, realizing and fusing together form, feeling and content. The juxtaposition of the abstract and the realistic, the balance of refine/subtle and raw/bold brushwork are utilized to express different feelings. Energy, color and composition are integral components of my work and together they evoke a sense of the spirit, the vital animating force within my being and my art.
Education:
- BFA- Bachelors of Fine Arts
- MFA- Masters of Fine Art
- Certificate of Drafting/CAD (Computer Aided Drafting) - Full California Teaching Credentials
A GoalI want to create visual narratives, aesthetically pleasing, and mentally stimulating art in public spaces for the people.
USC KECK COVID Awareness
I created two works of art for the Latino communities in Los Angeles.
I believe that science is not political, and that it is fact/truth. USC Keck Medicine used my two designs to spread COVID Awareness. Afterwards the LA County Health department began using it to help fight the Corona virus in my Latino Community.
Public Art and Gallery/Museum Exhibitions
• I have Approximately 50 murals. I have the three largest murals in Boyle Heights and ELA.
• I have a six-story mural in Berlin, Germany, painted in 1994. • 10 murals assisting ELS while I was a student in high school and college. • I have painted murals with the youth; together we created them at high schools, and in many housing projects around Los Angeles.
• I have 16 unique stainless steel “Metal Murals” for the MTA Metro Gold Line station, at Indiana and Third Street.
• I have two porcelain enamel artworks, one is here at Lincoln Park.I was one of six artistes selected to create work for “Las Memorias” AIDS Foundation, it is the first AIDS public art in the nation.
• I have worked on 5 major mural restorations. The latest was this year, is at City Terrace Park.
• I have exhibited in solo and group shows around California, and around the globe.
Teaching Experience:
• I taught “ Chicano/a Muralists and their Antecedents” part time at the Claremont Colleges, Pomona College for elven years.
• I taught studio arts and Design for 14 years at the high school level, eight years in South Central, and six years in ELA.