Since 1971, the Southern California-based artist has created more than 100 murals across the Golden State. “One of the reasons I like murals,” Mortimer says, “is that for two months you become part of the community.” In many cases, he explains, local officials commission the artwork to revitalize crumbling downtown areas that once thrived with mom-and-pop businesses.
Mortimer’s murals range from a 300-foot-long painting along a freeway off-ramp that depicts the history of Long Beach to a 40-foot mural in Crescent City commemorating the freakish series of tsunamis that severely damaged the Northern California town in 1964. With each new commission, Mortimer researches the town’s history, rummages through libraries and old newspaper files, and talks to the locals.
“A lot of artists can create beautiful artwork, but Art takes it a step further and becomes completely committed to the community,” says Heather Green, cultural supervisor for the Long Beach parks, recreation, and marine department. “He is engaged with the people and their history. His heart is in the job.”
Not sure what he wanted to study, he was thumbing through a course catalog one day and decided to just choose courses that sounded interesting. Art sounded interesting. After g
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