Me in the Year of 2022 at age 41.
Here’s a self-portrait I made for a book I worked on with Big Picture Press. They wanted illustrations of the Author, and Artist (me). I will share more details about this book when it is released.
Portrait of 2NES (Tunes) Uno + Process Videos
Illustration of 2NES UNO who is an artist and dancer. His partner, Marlee Hightower, who’s also a dancer commissioned this piece to honor him for his 30th Birthday. This project was a good opportunity to use portraiture to tell a story. I’m so grateful to have had total creative freedom on it and was excited to use images based on 2NES’ artwork.
CLICK ON IMAGE FOR FULL VIEW >>
The final piece was made into a 16” x 20” Giclee Print that Marlee had framed. I’ll update this post with how it turned out when it’s done.
Below are some videos documenting the process. They are broken up into 3 parts.
1) Color Roughs
2) Portrait Drawing
3) Finalizing Everything.
Part 1: Creating Color Ideas.
Part 2: Illustrating the Portrait (Face Only).
Part 3: Finalizing the piece with add-ons such as abstract shapes, graphics, and a Holographic representation of a character that 2NES draws in his work.
New Work
New piece titled, ‘I’m Not In Love’. I started painting this as a plein air study and ended up turning it into an actual project.
Si Se Puede
One of my best works, this piece is inspired by the historic context of Cesar Chavez's commitment to civil rights, activism, unionizing, and his stature amongst Chicanos.
I used Mexican tile as the background to illustrate motifs that relate to these themes. The tile composition is inspired by woven basket patterns which can be found from cultures everywhere but also speaks to the union of community and how the interlocking of one another creates strength. Aside from the cultural aspect of the tile, it also has a down to earth feel which points to the grassroots organizing that he was known for.
I added Nopales (cactus) in the background which reiterates his cultural ties but also emphasizes resilience and growth. In some of the tiles there are painted motifs, like a grape that is crossed out to signify one of his most famous civil rights actions which was the boycott of grapes. You'll also notice there are several tiles with Huelga birds that are repeated throughout. As you may know, the Huelga bird was the symbol for labor strike by the group he represented. I repeated them to signify the union of people across different work sites and was inspired by the phrase 'birds of a feather flock together'.
Some other smaller motifs are to show a sense of place...i.e. palm trees, California poppy, and roses for bloom. Finally, I designed his jacket with a sort of ribbed pattern which is inspired by bird feathers and the rows of crops that you see in farms.
There are two versions, Sky Blue background, and Earth (Golden Brown Background).
+ Click Image to Fit On Screen +
+ Click Images To Fit Screen +
'The Lost Dreamer' - Book Cover
I am grateful to have done a book cover awhile back for author Lizz Huerta’s ‘The Lost Dreamer’. It was officially published at the beginning of this month (March 2022). You can find it at Barnes & Nobles or online at amazon and other book sellers.
About: A stunning YA fantasy inspired by ancient Mesoamerica, this gripping debut introduces us to a lineage of seers defiantly resisting the shifting patriarchal state that would see them destroyed—Read More>>
+ Click on images to enlarge +
Sharks Arena Mural
Here is a very personal mural that I am currently displaying at the SAP Center (aka Sharks Arena) in San Jose. The San Jose Sharks partnered with Teal Inner Circle, Zoom, and Local Color to display six murals from local artists, and mine was one of them. Each piece is 28 feet by 8 feet.
The prompt for the artwork was to show what San Jose means to me. The images below are what I came up with.
My thoughts about the piece:
Title: Old SJ
This is my Love Letter to San Jose. It’s inspired by my experience growing up here during
the 80’ and 90’s. It’s also reminiscent of the life stories of those who came before my time. It is the spirit of
my relatives, roots, and a way of life that fades in and out of this city as times change. Just as it had
changed for my Grandparents, so too will ‘Old SJ' change for me.
Click On Images Below For Detail View.
Nik Naks
New piece and other announcements. This piece is called Nik Naks. I am currently working on some other pieces that cannot be released right now so I won’t be dropping as many new pieces this month.
In other news, I will stop shipping orders out between Mid-December and Early January, so now is probably the best time to get any of your holiday shopping in on my website. As you’ll notice, I have many more Paper Prints and all of my shipments are free on orders over $100, so grab two and some postcards for that free shipping.
Another update that I’m very excited about is that I am producing a Video Tutorial of how to Draw Digitally in my style. I will be using an Ipad Pro and Procreate app, but if you use some other type of stylus setup, you will be able to follow along. I’ll post more updates soon, but this will be out in January 2022.
Let me know if you have any questions, and thank you as always for viewing my work. Without you, I don’t have a platform to stand on.
Presente
Shout out to all my Contemporary Homies!
Hope Everyone is having a good week!
For all you Subscribers, thank you! I’m trying to present more updates on my website and less on Social Media. I know that you’re probably very busy so I appreciate you tapping in. Here is my latest print release which many have asked about in the past. This piece is inspired by Contemporary Native Americans, and the fact that they’re still present with us. Natives are often thought of in the past tense and as a history lesson, but they’re still here! I myself am part Native, as many people of Mexican Descent are. In this piece I combined the style of ancient hieroglyphics in a contemporary fashion.
Click here to SHOP for this Print >>
Skyway
What’s happening everyone?!
Just wanted to send you the latest update. I recently made this digital piece into a print and decided to call it Skyway. Just want to say how much I appreciate your support, in viewing and collecting my art. Because of this, i’m able to function independently and create more. In the past this was difficult because there were more ‘Gate Keepers’ in the art world and not everyone could enter. That’s why now you’re seeing the emergence of ‘Other’ in all sectors. This enables our perspective and representation in Art History, Culture, and Society. So Thank You!
Here are some details about this print if you would like to collect it.
‘Skyway’
A Hand-Signed, Embossed and Numbered Certificate of Authenticity included with every print.
Total paper size 12” x 12” (10.6” x 10.6” image), unframed.
Printed on Super Heavy Mohawk Felt Textured 110 lb with Archival inks.
Subscriber 20% OFF Discount Code: SUB
Free Shipping on Orders over $100.
SHOP NOW >>>>>
Eres Esencial
New postcards!