Richard Wyatt Jr., 62, has been creating murals throughout Los Angeles for decades and some were recently shown in a documentary at Union Station.
Wyatt grew up in Compton and was into art as early as age eight.. He was always staying after school to work on backgrounds for plays and different art projects. By the time that he reached fourth grade, his teacher told his parents that they should really consider putting him in art programs. From there, his art career took off.
“When I was 9-years-old I had an interest in art, but also in the history of Black art,” said Wyatt. “So, I went to the library there in Compton and the librarian said, ‘we don’t have a lot of books on Black artists but come back tomorrow and I’ll bring you one of mine.’ Once I saw Charles White, that did it for me. That was a defining moment for me because his work was just incredible.”
Wyatt began taking art classes in Watts and ended up in one called True to Art, which selected kids from all over Los Angeles County to meet every Saturday to work with different artists. He looked forward to going to this class every week and at the age of 12, Wyatt and one of his classmates were given the opportunity to create a mural for the Afro-American Studies Center at UCLA.
“It was really cool because it was the summer time and they had a budget, so we could make a little change too,” said Wyatt. “I also got to sit in a few classes at UCLA and it was really an eye-opener and it established for us at a young age that college is great.”
This opportunity led him to attending the university and graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts. After graduating, Wyatt worked at the Pasadena Community Art Center and the Watts Towers Art Center. He also taught at Otis College of Art and Design and UC Irvine, but has been fortunate throughout his career to be able to have consistent work painting murals.
Wyatt has created over 30 murals, with his most famous one being right outside of the Capitol Records building, called “Hollywood Jazz:1945-1972.” The mural features jazz artists Nat King Cole, Billie Holiday, Duke Ellington and more. It has become an iconic image in Los Angeles and was recently restored, so that it can be admired for years to come. Wyatt has also created murals in Downtown L.A., Echo Park, South Central and Inglewood. He also has worked with many famous people, including Spike Lee, his idol Charles White and more. Los Angeles has not only given Wyatt an art career, but has expanded his family as well.
“Most of my work is centered around L.A., which is good for me because my family is here. I have a wife and two daughters here and my wife’s family is here as well,” said Wyatt. “It’s always been important to me to stay close to family.”
Wyatt recently introduced a documentary that he was featured in called, “Mur Murs”, at Union Station, earlier this month. The documentary was directed by French filmmaker Agnés Varda and showcased murals throughout Los Angeles, with Wyatt’s “City of Dreams/River of History” being the most prominent image. This film series at Union Station will continue for a couple more weeks, featuring Ava Duvernay’s “This is the Life”, on Friday Dec. 1 in the Historic Ticketing Hall at 8 p.m. Admission is free, but the seats are a first-come first-serve basis, with doors opening at 7:15 p.m.
For more information about the Metro Arts events at Union Station, visit www.unionstationla.com and for more information about Wyatt, visit www.richardwyattjr.com.
