Robert Vargas had barely wrapped up his first day of work on a Boyle Heights mural honoring Fernando Valenzuela on Tuesday night when he heard the news that the beloved Dodgers pitcher had died at age 63.
“I still had my harness on,” Vargas said early Wednesday. “I wasn’t very far away [from the mural site]. I was having dinner after leaving there, so I returned to the wall just to feel connected to the space that I’ve already developed the relationship with as I’m about to paint this.
“Now it takes on even a greater meaning.