“So, I’ve met my goal. I never wanted to be famous, I just wanted to see my art in galleries and museums, and I’ve been privileged to do that.”
While fame was never a focus for local artist Ramon Murillo, leaving a lasting legacy that inspired other artists would be the catalyst for him to continue honing his craft and inspiring countless art students, even after suffering a traumatic brain injury.
Heavily influenced by family members, drawing from both Native American and Hispanic cultures and their artistry, Murillo says he was born an artist. Murillo earned a Bachelor of Arts in Art Education with a painting emphasis from Idaho State University in 1980 and a Master of Fine Arts in Printmaking from the University of Oregon in 1992.
View more of Murillo’s Work
A lifelong learner, he returned to ISU to earn a second Bachelor of Fine Arts in Art with a printmaking emphasis in 1998, along with a postgraduate degree in non-toxic printmaking from Grand Prairie Regional College in Alberta, Canada in 1998.
Murillo connected with a publishing and printing organization that serves established artists and artistic communities, the Crow’s Shadow Institute of Arts in Portland, Oregon. He now receives royalties at 50% for the sale of his work through the institute, which helped his career and notoriety explode, despite his humble wishes.
His paintings and prints are featured in collections at dozens of universities and museums around the world, including the Smithsonian and Victoria and Albert Museum in London.
While art had always come naturally to Murillo, it became increasingly more difficult after he suffered a traumatic brain injury in 2017. After being struck by a tipi pole, he had to relearn not just painting and printmaking techniques, but basic skills like speaking and writing, while also dealing with frequent migraines and sensory overload occurring several times daily. To aid in the healing process, Murillo knew he needed to be among a community of artists, so he enrolled in a painting and printmaking class at ISU.
“It’s more of an unofficial artist in residence and an opportunity to work with the other students,” Murillo said. “Part of my dream is to pave the way for upcoming artists, and so mentoring students is extremely rewarding. I want them to know that even through trials and tribulations, anyone who believes they can be an artist can do so if they take advantage of opportunities when they arise.”
He credits the opportunity to share his knowledge and love of creation as having a lasting impact on both his physical and mental health and recovery.
“I feel like I am having a career resurgence right now, creating some of the most profound artworks of my life,” Murillo said. “Two years ago I wasn’t able to finish larger scale projects but I recently completed a mural that was 7’x1’ and I’ve been able to build up to the complexity in art that I want to do so I feel like I can move forward.”
While he can’t pick a favorite painting or single piece he has created, Murillo says he definitely has a favorite style.
“In looking across many pieces of art, and all of the different modalities or styles of artistry such as abstract expressionism, Native American flat style on drums, printmaking and social/political artwork as well, I am most drawn to the spirituality of art that is connected to mother nature.”
Honoring the Shoshone-Bannock people is important to ISU President Robert Wagner. He met Murillo through an ISU art professor, and now displays several of his pieces in the sun room of the University House.
“When we were deciding on furnishings for the University House, we knew that we wanted to honor and show respect to the Servels, the original owners of the home. I also was very insistent that we have a Native presence in the home. Not only is the home, as the campus is, on the traditional homelands of the Shoshone-Bannock people, but helping improve our tribal relations is very important to me.”
Wagner says after searching for Native works of art in the university collections, he found very little, which inspired him to start building a more prominent collection on campus.
“I am excited to start building the university’s collection of Native art by purchasing pieces that hold significance to the region and displaying them in the University House for a year or two, then rotating them to a location on campus.”
Murillo is also involved in an initiative to showcase art in public spaces on campus. He is currently working with a student club and local sculptor on a future project that would see his paintings translated into marble etchings for display on Red Hill.