His decision to draw dinosaurs for his first large-scale mural was a logistical one, considering Paul couldn’t find paper quite large enough in Charlottesville. “I wanted to do something that was specific to a bus that you couldn’t do on any other canvas or medium… What can you depict that’s thirty feet long that’s more impressive than if you did it on paper? You get a bus, you want to do big things, and I like dinosaurs.”
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While Paul’s design is sure to be loved by all, his mural was designed with a specific audience in mind… and it’s definitely not for grownups. “I don’t care what the reaction from grownups is at all. I want the reaction from kids to be open mouths.”
The timeliness of his piece alongside one of the largest, recent discoveries in scientific history can’t go without mention. Paul’s ART BUS mural coincides with National Geographic’s announcement of a feathered dinosaur tail found encased in amber. The ART BUS will be both a moving mural, and an educational tool, for the more than 200,000 viewers on the streets of Charlottesville. “Maybe they go out and learn something about dinosaurs afterwards,” says Paul, “or they say, ‘Oh, I didn’t know that dinosaurs had feathers because Jurassic Park never taught me that.’”
When asked what advice he would give to a young artist wanting to make a career out of illustration, his response was candid, “Never turn down anything even if it’s not your thing.”
To view more of Paul Hostetler’s illustrations, visit phostetler.com. Instagram: @phostetlerart Twitter: @phostetlerart