Spotlight on River Basin muralist Juan Pablo Almonacid
Local artist and Fort Myers Mural Society member Juan Pablo Almonacid is one of the River Basin muralists. He painted Mural #25, the Menge Brothers Steamship Suwanee.
Born in Chicago in 1974 and raised in Fort Lauderdale, JP was consumed by drawing from an early age. During his adolescence, he was influenced by graphic and graffiti art. After graduating from high school in 1993, he was accepted into the Fine Arts program of the National University in Bogota,
Columbia and completed a four-year apprenticeship in 2001 with Armando Villegas, a pioneer of Modern Art in Latin America. He was a full-time studio artist in Bogota, where he was represented by galleries participating in group and solo exhibitions and international art fairs.
Since returning to the United States in 2018, J.P. has dedicated himself to public art and muralism. His work has been commissioned by the City of Fort Myers and the Department of Education of New York City. In addition, he has been a lead artist and designer for mural companies in New York City, completing numerous commissions for Microsoft and Spotify, to name a few.
J.P. 
is currently completing work for a degree in digital media at Florida SouthWestern State College and eagerly works in public art and street art commissions. IG: @c_y_a_n_art.
July 24, 2023.
About the Author
Tom Hall is both an amateur artist and aspiring novelist who writes art quest thrillers. He is in the final stages of completing his debut novel titled "Art Detective," a story that fictionalizes the discovery of the fabled billion-dollar Impressionist collection of Parisian art dealer Josse Bernheim-Jeune, thought by many to have perished during World War II when the collection's hiding place, Castle de Rastignac in southern France, was destroyed by the Wehrmacht in reprisal for attacks made by members of the Resistance operating in the area. A former tax attorney, Tom holds a bachelor's degree as well as both a juris doctorate and masters of laws in taxation from the University of Florida. Tom lives in Estero, Florida with his fiancee, Connie, and their four cats.