John Valadez Getting Them Out of the Car. Giclee print, 39¾" x 15", 2005. Original: Pastel on paper, 100" x 37½", 1984. Los Angeles-born John Valadez earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1976 from California State University, Long Beach and was one of the founding members of the Public Arts Center in Highland Park, organized to provide studio space and access to cooperative mural projects. During the middle and late 1970s, Valadez often worked on mural projects with young people; however, none of those murals still exist. He has created murals for the General Services Administration in El Paso, Texas and the federal courthouse in Santa Ana, California. In 1980, Valadez was included in a group exhibition, Espina, at LACE Gallery, Los Angeles, where his work was seen by the owner of the Victor Clothing Co. Valadez was invited to submit a proposal for portraits to hang in the store; a year and a half later, he completed work on The Broadway Mural at 242 Broadway, which remains one of the most extraordinary achievements to grow out of the mural movement. Valadez has had several solo exhibitions in Los Angeles galleries, as well as in San Francisco and New York. Back to Artist Listings