LOS ANGELES (KABC) – If you’re a Dodgers fan, you’ve probably taken a photo in front of the giant mural of Shohei Ohtani on the side of the Miyako Hotel in Little Tokyo. That mural has been quite life-changing for artist Robert Vargas.
“I’m definitely full of gratitude,” Vargas told Eyewitness News on Thursday. He is living his dream of creating art for people to enjoy, and his Dodgers-themed murals are bringing lots of joy to the city—especially as the team gears up for Game 1 of the World Series.
“It took me nine days to paint that mural, completely freehand. No grids, no projections, all with a brush, hanging off the side of that building,” recalled Vargas.
The Ohtani mural in Little Tokyo earned Vargas acclaim throughout Dodger Nation, from Los Angeles all the way to Japan. In fact, he even created a life-size mural in Ohtani’s hometown in Japan.
“The day before the home opener here, I was in Japan unveiling a new mural of him there,” said Vargas. “So there’s kind of like this ambassadorship that’s happening between myself and Los Angeles and the nation of Japan.”
Vargas also created a mural for Dodgers legend Fernando Valenzuela, who passed away last year.
“I just so happened to paint it the day that he passed away,” Vargas shared. “There’s no better place for these murals to exist than this Shohei Ohtani right here in the heart of Little Tokyo and the Fernando Valenzuela mural right in the heart of Boyle Heights.”
Boyle Heights is home for Vargas.
“I come from humble beginnings, and the work that I’m creating, I’m hoping that kids who look like me are able to dream that they, too, can do it,” he said.
Angelenos and Dodger fans have come to adore Vargas so much that the city dedicated a slice of the community to him, naming it Robert Vargas Square. It is nestled next to Mariachi Square in downtown Los Angeles.
“You know, the story isn’t done,” Vargas concluded. “There’s so much more to do, so much more work to create.”
