Paul Jimenez Jr. has always displayed a God-given talent as an artist, dating all the way back to third grade.
“He was chosen to be in this show and all the kids were asked to draw the same picture of a horse,” recalls his dad, Paul Sr. “His sketch was the only one that even resembled a horse.”
As a teen, the Chula Vista, California native turned to painting with brushes and spray cans, but not to tag gang graffiti. Paul’s thing was painting creatures like lions, tigers and other animals on fences in the alley behind his house, inside the back yard and even in the family’s living room.
“My property looked like a zoo,” says the elder Jimenez. “But it was a beautiful, colorful zoo.”
Still, the younger Jimenez had no idea what to do with his life, despite his obvious skills. That is until he met a young lady named Signe Ditona at an Ocean Beach farmer’s market in 2019. The pair shared an intense interest in art, became “novias” and dreamed of making a difference in the world. The ambition accelerated when both lost their day jobs due to COVID-19, and Jimenez decided the time was now.
“Signe and I talked about starting a business of our own, so I bought a lot of supplies and we decided to dive into it,” Jimenez recalls.
The business? Professional mural painting in the footsteps of the legendary Diego Rivera, an iconic figure who made the profession a cultural treasure. Jimenez and Ditona tapped into their vast social media accounts like Facebook and Instagram to spread the word about their venture, but their first job was actually Paul’s aunt.
“It was a low budget job but at the same time, it was cool to get paid,” Jimenez confirms.
That gig was the official birth of Ground Floor Murals, and the concept would ignite quickly. Murals of big cats and roosters would graduate into elaborate paintings of SoCal sports personalities. And after about 10 successful murals on their resume, Jimenez and Ditona would unveil their first “masterpiece,” a larger than life painting of San Diego Padres HOF outfielder Tony Gwynn. The image, created exclusively with spray paint, is located in the San Diego community of City Heights at 4151 University Avenue. Tourists and locals alike frequent one of the city’s most ethnic neighborhoods to catch the huge glimpse of Gwynn, bringing their expensive cameras and cell phones to capture the moment. That brings a sense of accomplishment and joy to the artists.
“It’s very rewarding to see that something we created can bring so much joy and positivity,” admits Jimenez. “That’s the best part of this job.”
Thus far, the Padres have been a nice meal ticket for Jimenez and Ditona, contracting the duo to paint similar images of Fernando Tatis Jr. in Ocean Beach, No-No Joe Musgrove at his alma mater Grossmont High School, and a work in progress in the Convoy District of Kearny Mesa that Asian residents hope will be of star pitcher Yu Darvish. But the twosome aren’t putting all their eggs in one basket. They are part of a three block series of paintings in downtown Los Angeles featuring the late beloved Kobe Bryant at 1525 South Broadway. They have also kicked in contributions honoring the legendary Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson with one of his pigeons.
Paul Jimenez admits to being somewhat motivated by the historical prominence of people like Diego Rivera, who paved the way for his profession. But the 26 year old Chicano doesn’t see himself as a revolutionary rebel and certainly not an atheist like Rivera. He’s just a young man in love with his girl and trying to learn more about his roots, and why God wanted him to take on this special craft for a living.
“I would really like to spend some time in Mexico and learn more about my heritage and the meaning of art down there,” admits Jimenez. “I want to contribute (to that history). But right now just seeing people appreciate our art is my favorite thing.”
