Roberto Marquez, the ‘painter of tragedies,’ honors the lives lost in the L.A. County fires

Roberto Marquez, a muralist and artist from Mexico City, has dedicated his life to creating art in places where tragedies or disasters occur. 

Known as the “painter of tragedies,” Marquez has painted murals and canvasses honoring victims of incidents like the New Orleans truck attack that killed more than a dozen people, the Baltimore Key Bridge collapse,  migrants found dead in the back of a container truck in San Antonio in June 2022, the aftermath of the recent earthquake in Turkey, the Ukraine war and the Texas outlet mass shooting in 2023, among others. 

For years, the self-taught immigrant artist has traveled from his home in South Dallas to create art and memorial pieces that center on the concepts of grief and unity after a tragedy. 

When Marquez heard about the wildfires that had spread across Los Angeles County and how residents in and around Pacific Palisades, Altadena, Pasadena, Sylmar and Hollywood were grappling with the devastation of the blazes, he knew he had to come to pay his respect in the ways he always has: through his art. 

Marquez packed his bags, brushes and paint and headed to L.A., where he chose to begin his art piece outside the Pasadena Community Job Center, one of the many community centers that are open, providing essential resources and necessities for victims of the wildfires, which collectively have scorched more than 37,000 acres and destroyed thousands of homes, businesses and other buildings.  

Through his Picasso-like art style, Marquez's paintings, which are often tmarked by a long row of freestanding plywood panels covered in stretched canvas, look to honor the perspective tragedy of the community, in this case, the fires and the lives lost because of them. 

“What I like to do is bring hope but at the same time be real about what happened here,” he told CALÓ News when talking about his painting. 

The three-plywood canvas portrayed the many different entities of the fires. Wildlife and animals were painted by Marquez in various parts of the painting. “The fires were up in the mountain,” he said. “We lost a lot of wildlife.” Other things included in his painting were first responders, fire hydrants, firetrucks and even the firefighters who came from Mexico and Canada to help tackle the fires. 

Marquez's mural also honors art and media in his paintings because, as he stated, the areas affected were immersed with art and community, and they were also home to musicians and artists. “I also like to give credit to the media,” he said as he pointed to a video camera to the very right of the mural, which according to Marquez has helped communities be informed and unified during what experts say can be L.A.’s most tragic and expensive disaster.  

Marquez said he chose to paint a mural hoping to give back to the community outside of the Pasadena Community Job Center because of the center's rich history, the closeness to the communities affected by the fires and their current effort to help victims of the fires. 

“It is so lively here and the energy is so beautiful,” Marquez said. “It's amazing to see people come together in times like this." 

The center, which is run by the National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON) and is a gathering spot for day laborers looking for jobs, is now one of the largest centers, with hundreds of volunteers dividing, organizing and distributing free care packages of food, toiletries, diapers, water and clothing. 

Marquez said throughout the days he has spoken to volunteers, people picking up care packages, and first responders who stop by as he is painting. “The art gives people time to pause [and] reflect,” he said. 

Marquez, who is 62, grew up in Guadalajara, Mexico, and came to the United States when he was 15 to work in the fields in California. In 1995, he moved with his family to Dallas and obtained citizenship. 

A little bit over six years ago, Marquez retired from the real estate business he worked on for decades, giving him more time and opportunities to immerse himself in his art. It was then that he decided he wanted his art to honor victims and highlight injustices. He slowly found himself in a chain of events, one after another, where stories and history were asked to be told via art.  

Immigration rights and the crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border are one of the most prominent themes in multiple of Marquez’s art pieces. He often travels to the southern border, where he attends marches, makes art and talks to the immigrant community. In 2018, he traveled with a caravan of Central Americans as they passed through southern Mexico, overrunning Mexican National Guard checkpoints. 

Apart from his art piece about the Eaton, Palisades and Hurts Fires, Marquez also built an impromptu memorial to honor the people who died, a number that, up until today, has increased to 25. 

Before starting on his art piece, Marques began the memorial, crafting, screwing and molding more than 20 crosses to represent the different victims.  “It was a priority for me to work on the emotional first and that connects us to the spiritual as well, in case anyone wants to [ignite] prayer,” he said. On Saturday, Marquez also hosted a vigil surrounding the memorial, where dozens of people gathered and left flowers, stuffed animals and letters. 

Marquez’s tradition is to create his paintings and travel to the next place that needs a bit more art amid tragedy. What happens to his art is often decided by the impacted community. “It’s my gift to them. This is what I could do,” he said. 

Sometimes his art stays in the place he began painting; other times it is taken to art or community spaces. He is still unsure where his latest piece in memory of the fires will live permanently but is hopeful it can bring happiness to a community that lost so much.