Danny Meza, muralist, tattoo artist, and hometown hero whose art took him from Westside Santa Barbara across the world, died this week at the age of 35 in San Diego.
Meza’s art graces the skin of hundreds of Santa Barbara locals and the walls of numerous businesses and public spaces around the city. He came up learning from some of the great artists in the city, painting murals with Manuel Unzueta and cutting his teeth at Mission Tattoo before spreading his artistic wings and moving to San Diego to open up his own shop.
His love for his hometown runs like a throughline through much of his art, with depictions of the Santa Barbara Mission, the coastline, and neighborhood landmarks like the spiraling Anapamu Bridge overpass, the symbolic gateway to the Westside he had tattooed on his own left shoulder. When he heard that one of his recent works — a mural with two interlocking hands painted on the wall outside Brownie’s Market on De la Vina Street — was defaced, he came right back to town to retouch the mural and used the incident as an opportunity to advocate for more public spaces for art.
Meza was born in Santa Barbara in 1990, and he often said his art was defined by his upbringing, cartoons, skateboard graphics, comic books, and graffiti. Later in his career, he used his art as a way to see the world, doing guest spots in tattoo shops and conventions and expanding his influences.
No details have been released surrounding his death, though the news spread quickly over social media, where friends, fellow artists, and Santa Barbara locals shared photos and memories dedicated to his life and work.
“Rest in Power,” wrote City Councilmember Oscar Gutierrez, who represents the Westside district and attended San Marcos High School with Meza. “You were a true local and a great artist. Your work will live on.”
Meza’s family created a GoFundMe page to help pay for funeral services.
“Danny was a monumental figure in the Santa Barbara art scene, a pioneer in the mural community, and a Santa Barbara legend in every sense,” wrote Meza’s younger brother, Jon. “His art brightened our streets, and his presence brightened our lives. If you ever had the blessing of crossing paths with Danny, you were probably met with a warm smile, a good joke, or maybe even a song. That was just who he was — full of life, love, and laughter.”
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