If you wanted a retrospective tour of San Jose artist Paul J. Gonzalez’s body of work, you would end up putting in a lot of miles. That’s because Gonzalez primarily creates murals, and his art is all over the Bay Area.

In late 2021, he completed his 200th mural, a colorful piece at Empire Gardens Elementary School, not far from where he grew up in San Jose. “What’s interesting about this career is I look back and I’ve been part of changing communities all over the place,” said Gonzalez, 48. “Besides the number of murals, when I go back in time I feel like I did my part to inspire others.”

The latest piece was a collaboration with Keep Coyote Creek Beautiful, which worked with Gonzalez to create a mural that would incorporate wildlife while also brightening the grounds of the school at North 21st Street near Watson Park and the waterway. It allowed him to express his own interest in the environment — including work with the South Bay Creeks Coalition and the city’s San Jose’s Environmental Services Department — while beautifying a school.

SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 2: A detail from a mural by Paul J. Gonzalez at Empire Gardens Elementary School in San Jose, Calif., on Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2022. This is his 200th mural. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group) 

The final design is teeming with critters — a coyote roams around California poppies, a rabbit frolics creekside while a caterpillar, a butterfly and a bee go about their days. There are birds and trout, and plenty of flower and trees to complete the scene.

As with so many other things in our lives right now, COVID-19 provided its own challenge. Gonzalez had hoped to let students help paint the project, but restrictions meant they were limited to sending in drawings of animals they’d like to see. And because visitors weren’t being allowed on San Jose Unified School District campuses during school hours, he and his assistants had to work after school from August through November. And, every day toward winter reduced the amount of daylight available.

“Whoever was out afterschool, we could talk to at a distance,” Gonzalez said. “So we would have kindergartners pass by and they would notice and name the animals. It was already starting to have an impact on the students, and we really used that opportunity to talk with the students.”

SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 2: A detail from a mural by Paul J. Gonzalez at Empire Gardens Elementary School in San Jose, Calif., on Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2022. This is his 200th mural. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group) 

One of Gonzalez’s favorite murals is at another East San Jose school, San Antonio Elementary, where he created a “modern serape” at the entrance of the cafeteria. “The whole side of the building is full of colors,” he said. “Once I saw kids around the building — they were doing dances and poses in front of the wall — it made me so happy.”

And with 200 murals under his belt, Gonzalez plans to slow down the pace in the future. He still loves the art form, but large-scale painting jobs can really take a toll on the body, he says. He had to learn to paint with both arms after he wore out his right arm a few years ago and could no longer use it as well for a time.

“It’s very physical because you’re constantly going up and down with these brushes,” he said. “Being an artist, I want to use this time to think about what that future can be. I’m always going to be painting murals, but just not at this capacity.”

SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 2: A detail from a mural by Paul J. Gonzalez at Empire Gardens Elementary School in San Jose, Calif., on Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2022. This is his 200th mural. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group) 

SWEET TREAT: The Saratoga History Museum’s new exhibit, “Love is in the Air,” looks at some of the ways that people around the world celebrate Valentine’s Day — like in Argentina, there’s a whole “Sweetness Week,” Bulgaria celebrates a “day of winemakers” (good for those who love wine) and in Estonia, Feb. 14 is “Friends Day,” which lets those who don’t have a sweetheart celebrate, too.

The museum at 20450 Saratoga-Los Gatos Road in Saratoga is open 1-4 p.m. on Fridays and Sundays and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays. If you need more information, go to www.saratogahistory.com.

And, when you stop by to see the exhibit, you can pick up a free Valentine and a kiss. The chocolate kind, of course.

TRIBUTE TO A BROADCASTER: I got the news this week that John Lester — whose voice would have been familiar to longtime South Bay radio fans — died on Jan. 2 at age 85 in Los Gatos. Lester worked at various radio stations before he landed at KLIV-AM in 1967, which was then San Jose’s top-40 station.

He traded in rock ‘n’ roll for news at KGO 810 and then made the transition to TV. He covered the Patty Hearst kidnapping and later became the Hearst family’s spokesperson on the case. He eventually self-published a book recounting the kidnapping and Hearst’s subsequent trial called “Girl in a Box.” For a time, he was with KPIX-TV’s South Bay bureau doing human interest stories and in the early 1980s started his own advertising agency in San Jose.

His son, Christian, said that at the time of his dad’s death, he was working on a book on the Zodiac case. Lester, a member of the Screen Actors Guild since 1958, even got into the movies appearing in Clint Eastwood’s 1973 Dirty Harry film, “Magnum Force,” as a news reporter. Services will be held at a later date because of the pandemic, Christian Lester said.

COMEDY STARS ON THE WAY: If you’re looking to laugh, the Improv in downtown San Jose has some serious headliners coming through town in the next month. The lineup includes Jeremy Piven (Feb. 11-12), Jamie Kennedy (Feb. 16), Margaret Cho (Feb. 25-26) and Marlon Wayans (March 3-6). Andrew Schulz of the “Flagrant 2” podcast also is on the schedule for Feb. 18-19, but his shows are already sold out.

Like everything else these days, the schedule is subject to change. Go to improv.com/sanjose for updates and tickets.