From the flour tortillas filled with rice and beans that I ate as a boy to the songs by Pedro Infante that my grandmother sang to me as she rocked me to sleep, I paint what I know and have experienced in my life. Going to Mexican wrestling in Reynosa and having a firm belief in God while enduring the tedious rituals of being a Roman Catholic, by birth if not practice, are all elements that make up the images and inspirations for all of my work as an artist.

El Santo (Las super luchas series)
Acrylic on canvas, 30" x 40

"He sported silver wrestling boots and tights, and a long flowing crimson cape that seemed to flow with a gust of wind that was nonexistent in this airless arena. His chest was exposed, revealing like badges of honor the scars of his titanic struggles with Gory Guerrero, La Sombra Negra and El Gladiador. His face was concealed by a silver mask that seemed to glow with an unearthly light whenever struck by the arena spotlights, surely a sign that this man was not of this earth." The mask of El Santo has always been a source of mystery. Who is he? Could he even have been the man sitting next to you on the bus ride home? El Santo, one of the biggest cultural icons in Mexico. Some consider him second only to Pedro Infante and the Virgin Mary herself.

Loving Pedro Infante (interior view) (Tesoros series)
Wood, acrylic, clay, and other mixed media

Tesoros, Spanish for treasures, is a collection of portable shrines that pay homage to over twenty of the greatest icons of Mexico. Among them are El Santo, Luis Aguilar, Frida Kahlo, and of course no collection would be complete without the inclusion of the immortal Pedro Infante. The shrine is a celebration of his music, his movies, and his life, as they are found spread amidst the box. Clay and various other media were used to create the altar found within its confines and the presence of the foreboding plane of death (he died in a plane crash) and newspaper headlines serve as a constant reminder of his tragic and sudden death. His was a death that made Mexico weep.