SAN DIEGO – From Tony Gwynn’s performance in the late 1980s in City Heights to Fernando Tatis Jr.’s swaggy bat flip in Ocean Beach, their murals are a virtual who’s who of the San organization. Diego Padres.
The artwork is a creative collaboration of Paul Jimenez and Signe Ditona de Murals on the ground floor.
“The times I enjoy my paintings the most is when there are people in front or taking a picture with their family or children looking at them,†Jimenez said.
But long before the couple were known by that name, they were Dos de la Arte, using the alley wall behind Jimenez’s father’s Chula Vista house in August 2020.
Now over a year later, their life couldn’t be more different.
“When the pandemic happened, we were both made redundant the same week,†Jimenez said, “and at first we didn’t know what we were going to do. Super worried and stressed, then we started to draw ritualistically on our iPads.
One day, out of curiosity, Jimenez ordered spray paint over the Internet, Ditona said.
“He laughed at that and fell in love and that’s when I knew something was going to come out of it,†she said.
This is where their journey began, a modern SoCal version of Frida Khalo and Diego Rivera. They began to paint animals wherever they could, even in Jimenez’s father’s living room.
“I really want to go to Mexico and learn more about my heritage and the art there,†Jimenez said. “(And) see if I can contribute in any way. I really admire Diego Rivera and the reason he painted murals was for people. You don’t have to pay to see it, you can just drive by and it’s still there and that’s what I believe in too.
“My murals are for people and seeing them enjoy is my favorite thing.”
This passion and skill does not surprise Elder Jimenez.
“I went to an art show he was in when he was in third grade and everyone had to draw the same picture,†said Paul Jimenez Sr .. “He was a horse and his was the only one who looked like a real horse. ”
These animals quickly turned into an alley zoo. They changed their name and soon everything changed. These days, the duo have made Southern California their canvas, painting Laker legends Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol, boxers Mike Tyson and Muhammad Ali, San Diego Chargers icon Junior Seau and others. Padres, including Joe Musgrove, Manny Machado, and Yu Darvish.
“I felt it in my heart doing Tony Gwynn, and I think it was for several reasons and I expected people to see it but I didn’t expect a lot of people to see it “Jimenez said.
See a full map of their public murals below.
