Mural Stories: One Love in an Unexpected Place - A Mural That Gets Respect
Sponsored by Boys & Girls Club of Kern County
by Mary Anne Em Radmacher, Creative Director, Arts Council of Kern
Sponsored by Boys & Girls Club of Kern County
by Mary Anne Em Radmacher, Creative Director, Arts Council of Kern
Jun 25, 2026
Mural by Danny Chavez. Photo courtesy of the Arts Council of Kern. Where to see it: Oildale, north of Bakersfield, at the busy intersection of Roberts Lane and Belmont Avenue.
A larger-than-life Bob Marley gazes out from the side of a local business in Oildale, north of Bakersfield, at the busy intersection of Roberts Lane and Belmont Avenue. Beneath the portrait are two simple words: One Love.
The mural is by Kern artist Danny Chavez, whose work spans tattooing, fine art, large-scale public murals, and a nationally recognized career in contemporary wall painting. While many artists specialize in a single medium, Chavez moves comfortably between them, bringing the same meticulous attention to detail whether he is working on a canvas, a tattoo, or a wall several stories high.
The Marley mural exists because a local business owner believes in both the artist and public art. Over the years, Chavez has completed multiple public-facing projects for the property, gradually transforming exterior walls into works of art available to everyone who passes by. Chavez has transformed a wall into a message of common ground.
As a child growing up in Kern County, art began early. He was constantly drawing - first family members, then animals, then anything that captured his imagination, especially while he was seeing his world from his skateboard. Those interests evolved into a lifelong study of imagery, technique, and visual storytelling.
He’s experimented with many materials over the years; Chavez prefers spray paint. He describes it not as a blunt instrument but as something capable of remarkable subtlety. Where others see just a can of paint, he sees a tool capable of delicate transitions, soft atmosphere, and extraordinary precision. Today he favors professional paints developed in Europe, prized for their responsiveness and control, allowing him to achieve the nuanced effects that have become his signature. His reputation extends far beyond California.
What makes the Marley mural especially noteworthy is not simply its scale or craftsmanship, but its reception. Despite standing in a highly visible location for years, the mural remains respected and untouched.
That outcome delights Chavez. The message, after all, is right there in the title.
One Love.
In a world that often emphasizes differences, Chavez's mural quietly suggests another possibility: that art creates common ground, one wall at a time.
See more of the work of Danny Chavez on Instagram: art_by_melt
Find more of KCFM's Mural Stories Series below:
Mural Stories: A Slice of Bakersfield History
Mural Stories: Dream Center Youth Mural
Mural Stories: Nine Parks, One Mural
Mural Stories: EASTCHESTER: One Word, An Artful Direction
Mural Stories: The Roots of the Basque Mural
Mural Stories: Color Arrived Before Most People Noticed
