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Berto is an American artist living and working in Santa Monica, California. At the age of 38, he has met the challenges of young adulthood and developed the skills that support his vision, which includes a deep appreciation of nature’s intricate patterns and a love of vivid color. As a young child, Berto’s art teachers recognized his talent and gave him the freedom to thrive at art-making.
His father, a carpenter and musician, also taught him to draw. Middle school became a turning point by giving him the opportunity to witness the creative process of another artist. His studies in drafting during high school fostered a love of design. Since the age of 18, Berto has worked “every job imaginable”—from waiting tables to teaching surfing, modeling, directing films, and architectural design—jobs that often acquainted him with famous photographers and revealed how successful creatives live and work.
While living in Sydney, Australia in 2008, he saw an empty wall and decided to paint on it. Then another wall became available; this mural was better than the last one. When he returned to Los Angeles, the creative spark prompted him to look for more walls to paint. At first, he paid for these projects out of his own pocket. But promising work soon followed, beginning with a large mural in downtown LA that led to his move to New York where he established himself as a muralist.
In 2015, he asked himself if he was truly living the life he wanted to live. This led to buying a van, crossing the country, and ending up in Ventura, California where he pursued his lifelong love of surfing. He also rented an art studio. When the pandemic began, he had painted well over 50 murals in the United States, Australia, Bali, Costa Rica, Indonesia, New Zealand and Senegal. Realizing that COVID had halted his career as a muralist, and this creative process was also rough on his body, he fully and finally embraced his desire to make smaller artworks for collectors to enjoy in the privacy of their homes.
Berto recently purchased a building in Portugal and is moving into another new chapter, saying that he needs a studio in a city and another far removed from the concrete jungle to keep him engaged. He adds that creativity isn’t an easy process; self doubt is always present and yet essential for making good art. For him, self-doubt forces him to nurture his creativity.
Describing his artistic process, he says: “I just pick up on good energy and push it into the world. As far as the creative success goes, I am constantly reinventing myself, so I cannot do the same thing over and over again. What I love about painting is it’s a solo pursuit. It’s also romance. Sometimes you struggle. Sometimes it’s easy. But creating visual beauty is therapy for me, and I hope my art causes viewers to feel good and grounded. Ultimately, I’m always trying to get to the center of who I am.
