Biographical Information
Botello is best known as one of East Los Streetscapers. He grew up in East Los Angeles and Lincoln Heights. In 1969 Botello with Jose-Luis and Juan Gonzalez founded Goez Art Studio and Gallery, one of the first Chicano art galleries. In 1973 he was among the first to do a mural at Estrada Courts. In 1975, shortly after rediscovering his 3rd grade art partner Wayne Healy, Botello left Goez to paint murals with him, together co-founding what became East Los Streetscapers. He lives in El Sereno, just north of East Los Angeles.
East Los Streetscapers
In 1977 Botello and Wayne Healy founded Los Dos Streetscapers. Shortly thereafter other artists, such as George Yepes and Rudy Calderon, began working with them, so they changed their name to East Los Streetscapers. However, while other artists have come and gone, Botello and Healy remain the core of the team. In addition to their many local murals, they have done projects in Houston, St. Louis, Bellingham, Washington, as well as San Jose and Santa Maria, California. Botello and Healy did their first mural together–about dinosaurs–in the third grade.