BIOGRAPHY

Ernesto de la Loza (b. 1949, Los Angeles) is a painter, muralist, and sign painter whose eclectic artistic practice spans more than fifty years. In the early 1970s, extensive travels— largely by bicycle—through Europe, Mexico, and across the United States deeply influenced his artistic formation. Immersing himself in a broad historical spectrum of art and vibrant countercultural movements, both locally and internationally, he embarked on a lifelong creative journey that is expansive in scale, scope, and style. His work both documents and transforms the social, cultural, and physical landscapes of Los Angeles.

Upon returning to Los Angeles in the mid-1970s, de la Loza became an active participant in the city’s burgeoning Chicano and public mural movements. From the iconic White Eagle’s Dance at the Alameda Theater on Whittier Boulevard (1978) to his recent mural Earth Mother at Planned Parenthood in Highland Park (2022), de la Loza has completed over three dozen large-scale murals across Southern California. Central to his approach is a commitment to working-class communities of color—bringing art to the streets, energizing concrete walls with vibrant imagery, and fostering youth engagement through education, employment, and mentorship.

Collaborating with organizations such as SPARC (Social and Public Art Resource Center) and the Mural Conservancy of Los Angeles, de la Loza views the mural as a transformative platform —one that allows for creative risk-taking and the expression of urban culture and often- overlooked experiences through visual language and public aesthetics.

In the 1980s, de la Loza expanded his dedication to outdoor painting by studying with renowned billboard artist and educator Mario Rueda. Under Rueda’s mentorship, he honed his skills in portraiture, 1970s supergraphics, plein-air techniques, color theory, and hand-lettering. This training led to work with the outdoor advertising agency Foster and Kleiser. These experiences enriched his studio practice and contributed to a highly versatile body of easel paintings that stretch across photorealism, abstraction, and pop art—demonstrating his enduring interest in the elasticity of painting.

From the 1990s to the present, de la Loza has exhibited in numerous galleries and museums. In 2005, he received the City of Los Angeles Individual Artist (COLA) Master Artist Fellowship. His work was also featured in the traveling exhibition Murales Rebeldes (2017–2019), part of the Getty’s Pacific Standard Time initiative. His contributions to the visual landscape of Los Angeles have been widely documented in books, exhibitions, and films.