Quick Facts
Biography
Levi Ponce is an American artist noted for his public murals throughout urban areas of the San Fernando Valley and surrounding areas in Southern California.
Early life and career
Ponce was born in the Pacoima neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. He studied animation and graphic design at California State University (Northridge), and received a bachelor's degree in art. Ponce was influenced by his father, Hector Ponce, a sign painter and muralist whose work appears on many storefronts in Pacoima.
In 2011, Ponce began installing murals on the sides of buildings in poorer neighborhoods of the San Fernando Valley.
Ponce is noted for his influence on what has become known as "Mural Mile", a strip of Van Nuys Boulevard in Pacoima once covered in graffiti and defaced storefronts. Ponce began painting murals along walls facing the street, and was joined by other artists.
Ponce's art sometimes take the form of a community project, as volunteers are welcome to assist with public murals. "These are our artists here in Pacoima", said Ponce, "they don't have galleries. They don't have schools or universities and museums. When I say come help paint, it's like a gift to them".
Canvas works by Ponce have been exhibited at The MACAY in Mérida, the Craft and Folk Art Museum in Los Angeles, and at California State University in Northridge.
In 2014, MSN Latino listed Ponce as one of "10 Latinos to Watch in 2014", describing his murals as "a truly marvelous and original way of beautifying the city, street by street".
In 2015, Ponce was commissioned to paint "Luminaries of Pantheism" for an area in Venice, California that receives over a million onlookers per year. The mural painting depicts Albert Einstein, Alan Watts, Baruch Spinoza, Terence McKenna, Carl Jung, Carl Sagan, Emily Dickinson, Nikola Tesla, Friedrich Nietzsche, Ralph Waldo Emerson, W.E.B. Du Bois, Henry David Thoreau, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Rumi, Adi Shankara, and Lao Tzu.
Works
| Title, date, location | Description |
|---|---|
Pacoima Trejo
| Mural of actor Danny Trejo on a wall facing a restaurant. Pacoima's Christmas parade followed a route along which the mural could be viewed, with Trejo the parade's grand marshal. Painted using brushes and acrylic house paint. |
Sunny Slopes
| Mural at Pacoima Little League Baseball and Softball Park. Painted using brushes and acrylic house paint. |
The Pacoima Art Revolution
| Mural of Mona Lisa holding a sombrero and a dagger, representing La Adelita, a female warrior from a Mexican folk tale. Painted by Ponce, with assistance from R@H and Kristy Sandoval. |
I Was Born in East Valley
| A tribute to the East Valley and those who grew up there. Featured is Cheech Marin, with landmarks including Whiteman Airport, four towers in Sunland, and a plane representing the one that crash into Pacoima Junior High School in 1957. Painted by Ponce, with assistance from Steven Acevedo, Erica Friend, Monica Cano, Leo Tejeda, Sesor, the Mendez Family, the Rhee Family, Alee Ponce, and the Alvarez Sisters, using brushes and acrylic house paint. |
The Day The Music Died
| A tribute to Ritchie Valens of Pacoima, who died in a 1959 plane crash. A 1959 Chevy is depicted driving through Iowa, alluding to a Don McLean song about the incident. Painted by Ponce, with assistance from Sidro Candelario, Leonardo Tejeda, Alee Ponce, Erica Friend, Monica Cano, using brushes and acrylic house paint. |
Lady of the Valley
| A reflection of the East Valley culture. Painted by Ponce, with assistance from "The Gr818ers ft. Serv One", using brushes and acrylic house paint. |
Olmos
| A portrait of Edward James Olmos, with graffiti-style imagery. Painted by Ponce, with assistance from Mute, Sesor, and others, using brushes, acrylic house paint, and aerosol cans. |
Pacoimeras (Pacoima Neighborhood Mural)
| A reflection of the Pacoima neighborhood, with an emphasis on the women who live there. The lower half of the mural features two women lounging in a painted field of the national flowers of El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Mexico, and the United States. Monarch butterflies symbolize migration, and in a stained-glass window are loteria cards, reflecting traditional Latino culture. Painted using brushes and acrylic house paint. |
The Girl With the Hoop Earring
| Painted on the concrete face of a liquor store. Ponce said he wanted to "bring Vermeer to Pacoima", referring to Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer. Painted using brushes and acrylic house paint. |
La Lady Liberty
| Painted by Levi Ponce, with assistance from Isidro Candelario, Manny Velazquez, Anat Ronen, Thomas Prado, and Rosa, using brushes and acrylic paint. |
Tribute to Michelangelo
| A homage to Michelangelo, painted on a wall of Continental Art Supplies, using brushes and Modern Masters acrylic paint. |
Photos y Recuerdos
| Painted using brushes and acrylic house paint. |
Logic and Imagination
| Mural of Albert Einstein installed on the back wall of the Magnolia Science Academy in Reseda. Ponce's intent was to raise awareness in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education, while presenting an inspiring role model to students. Painted using brushes and acrylic house paint. |
Dali Comes to Pacoima
| Portrait of Salvador Dalí, using acrylic house paint. |
Soliloquy
| Portrait of a woman holding a scull. Painted using brushes and acrylic paint. |
Luminaries of Pantheism
| Portrait of a Albert Einstein, Alan Watts, Baruch Spinoza, Terence McKenna, Carl Jung, Carl Sagan, Emily Dickinson, Nikola Tesla, Friedrich Nietzsche, Ralph Waldo Emerson, W.E.B. Du Bois, Henry David Thoreau, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Rumi, Adi Shankara, and Lao Tzu. |