Gustavo Zermeño Jr. mixed his love for community and art by first offering to paint murals on local businesses around his home in Venice, California. Soon his larger-than-life portraits of sports heroes, celebrities and iconic musicians done in acrylic and aerosol peered at passersby from walls far beyond his neighborhood. This led to collaborations with the likes of the Los Angeles Lakers, the Rams, UCLA and Nike, among others, while working with nonprofits and underserved populations to uplift and inspire the next generation of artists. Zermeño has been featured in local and national media and created a social media buzz with his hyper-realistic painted cutouts, left in unlikely places—a practice he loved for its surprise factor. His body of work has grown to include sculptures and stylized portraits on canvas and paper. He continues to be inspired by Los Angeles, its sports culture, music, and the landscape itself.

I'm Muralist Jonas Never, and This Is How I Work

Jonas Never works in public. His murals are seen by thousands of passerby (and soon after by their Instagram followers), but he has less time to paint them than many artists who can work in private. He’s learned to work quickly and maximize his time to create local landmarks around L.A. and beyond. We talked to Jonas about his process, his favorite painting tools, and the rules he follows for “painting big and fast.”

Tell us a little about your background and how you got to where you are today.

I started off with graffiti, so became used to painting big and fast. Soon after, I started painting Rockabilly murals. They were big and I was able to do them in a respectable amount of time. And since I played baseball through college, I already had a real appreciation for sports. Eventually, I began to blend sports and pop culture into my pieces.

The Silverlake Lounge, once renowned for its drag and burlesque shows and its gritty, dive-bar charm, emerged in the early 2000s as a cornerstone of Silverlake’s burgeoning music scene. This unassuming venue hosted legendary performances by bands like Rilo Kiley, Silversun Pickups (named after the liquor store across the street), Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Brian Jonestown Massacre, The Warlocks, Local Natives, Lord Huron, The Black Lips, and Metric. The stories from those nights have become the stuff of local lore—whether it was The Black Lips kicking in the speakers or Metric shaking the liquor bottles off the shelves.

The playlist below is curated to capture the essence of the music born from this vibrant neighborhood. It’s designed to accompany you as you explore Silverlake, evoking the sights, sounds, and emotions you might encounter on your walk.