How old are you?

27

you’re a young cat. did you go to art scHool?

I went to Cal Arts in Valencia, but grew up in Pomona.

do you consider yourself cHicano?

Latin American. My dad is from Nicaragua. He came here when he was in his early twenties. My mom is from here, but my grandpa is from Mexico.

so you’re first generation, But tHe style of your work is so refined. do you consider your work tecHnical? or is it sometHing you gained at an institution like cal arts? or is it a comBination of BotH?

It’s a combination of both. Before Cal Arts,  I was making all abstract work about my feelings and emotions. It really wasn’t much more than that. So when I went to Cal Arts I started thinking about why I was making it rather than making it to make it. I started thinking about and choosing the imagery I was working with. So, it did become more technical. When I was there, some instructors told me I should think about going into illustration. At the time I did not really understand what that was and there definitely was a line. I began to question it.

wHy is illustrator sucH a Bad word to laBel your work?

It’s not a bad word, since I do illustrate. At the time, I guess it was because you are making art, you’re selling to companies specifically for them.

But now tHat line is Blurred.

It’s definitely blurring. A lot of artists are fine artists before bringing it to something like a skate deck. For me, I’ve separated my fine art from my clothing stuff.

How do you do tHat?

The clothing stuff is strictly graphic, and my painting is my painting. I just finished working with Vans. I just did their 2010 catalog. I did some illustrations.

How did you get Hooked up witH tHese cats?

In ‘06, I was painting on a lot of Vans, then I met Munson Industries. He hit me up with a billboard project with Vans. Since then, we have continued working together on projects.

so, tell me aBout cal arts and your experiences tHere and tHe students you met. was it overall a good experience?

When I went there, I just kind of wanted to take everything in. I had a lot of friends who were in the graphic design program, and that’s where I picked up a lot of my skills and what I learned. We had friends in all departments. I know that from other schools, talking to friends that went to other schools, you pretty much stayed in your department. But, I could do whatever I wanted. I could do video work, and it didn’t matter because everything was accessible.

tHere’s a weird pressure on kids tHat go to art scHool.

They kind of mess with you. I had kids that dropped out because they didn’t understand any of that. It’s so heavy on an artist’s head because there are people tearing you down. You have to bring yourself back up. A lot of people get lost in what they’re making. They’re questioning you and why you’re making what you’re making. When you come out, you have to know who you are and why you’re making what you’re making.

are you tHinking aBout tHe graduate program?

I always go back and forth with it. Right now I’m not because I like where I’m going with what I’m doing. I don’t think there would be a need for that right now.