My work explores identity, labor, and memory through materials that carry their own sense of weight and history. Drawing from my Mexican heritage and blue-collar upbringing in Lorain, Ohio, I reference cultural symbols such as calaveras, industrial architecture, steel plants, and elemental forms like water and rock. These motifs serve as both personal and universal markers connecting family history, place, and the physical environments that shape who we become.
I work primarily in charcoal, mixed media, pencil, polymer clay, and watercolor, allowing each piece to evolve through process rather than strict planning. The tactile nature of these materials is essential; applying charcoal, layering washes, or building form by hand mirrors the accumulation of lived experience. My background in advertising sharpened my sense of composition and visual storytelling, my studio practice is equally fast paced and intuitive, focused on observation, reflection, and emotional resonance. Ultimately, my intent is to create work that honors resilience, cultural inheritance, and the quiet dignity found in hard work, family, and everyday life.
I earned a B.F.A. in Advertising and Illustration from the Columbus College of Art & Design in 1986, attending the final class of the Cooper School of Art. Through ongoing engagement with portraiture, watercolor, and life-drawing groups, I continue to refine and expand my artistic view.
