Featured Print -
Draw, by Paul Botello
Medium: Screenprint
Year: 1991
Image Size: 36.5 x 24 inches
Visually, the design evokes a king playing card, reinterpreted through a Mesoamerican lens: Mayan‑style figures, swords, clouds, and other symbolic motifs are composed in a richly graphic and energetic layout.
Botello, a native of East Los Angeles and a third‑generation Mexican American, weaves personal, cultural, and historical narratives into this layered symbolism. His palette, line work, and composition convey both reverence for indigenous heritage and his own Chicano identity, while also engaging the viewer in a mythic storytelling framework. A copy of Draw resides in the collection of the Arizona State University Art Museum and another at the Blanton Museum of Art.
Paul Botello
Paul Botello was born and raised in East Los Angeles. Paul Botello is the brother of East Los Streetscraper co-founder, David Botello. His involvement with art began at the age of 8, helping his brother work on murals (David Botello, or East Los Streetscapers). He went on to earn his BA and MFA at UC Los Angeles. In 1997, he was a visiting professor at Pitzer College in Claremont.
In 1994 he traveled to Berlin, Germany where he collaborated on a giant mural titled “Global Chessboard.” He continues working on murals both in Los Angeles and abroad. He considers his work as symbolic narratives exploring both personal and public issues. He most often brings his distinctive personal style of energy, color and composition to focus on social issues.