Growing up, Jonathan Martinez never dreamed about being an artist, let alone one who focuses exclusively on endangered wildlife.
But not only is wildlife art how this 29-year-old makes his living, it’s also how the Santa Ana resident — who didn’t see many animals in his childhood — is changing lives.
His art definitely is hot right now. Martinez has landed commissioned work with foundations. He’s got some sponsorships with art supply companies. He’s selling paintings and drawings to buyers around the world. He’ll soon be consulting on art lessons with teachers at Santa Ana Unified.
His art also, literally, is blowing up — in the form of larger-than-life murals in cement-oriented places like Santa Ana, Long Beach and Los Angeles.
Martinez just finished a 40-foot by 25-foot nature scene on a wall at Esperanza Elementary, on the edge of downtown Los Angeles. That was painted on behalf of the National Wildlife Federation.
The work, visible from a street that borders the school campus, is the first of possibly 80 wildlife murals planned by the partnership between Martinez and the Federation’s SaveLACougars campaign. The goal is to raise awareness of and, hopefully, protect and expand, the dwindling population of mountain lions living in the Santa Monica Mountains.