Today we’d like to introduce you to Tina Arroyos.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Started doing art at the age of 30 in 2001 as a part of relieving anxiety. I had just ended an almost ten years relationship where I never really had time to spend on my own hobbies. As my art projects started accumulating, I started hanging them in my house. As people would visit, they would ask where I got them from… I said I made them. one afternoon a friend and I were shopping in uptown Whittier, where we came upon casita del pueblo… my friend kept saying that my art would be great in a place like that since it was considered Latino pop art. being the busy body that my friend is, eventually talked the store owner to take a look at my works… I’m not really a people person per se…. a couple of weeks later, I made an appointment with the owner and she then gave me some pointers…. since then, I’ve been bringing her a couple of pieces… they sold… I was surprised. Time had passed… sometimes I would bring her a few pieces here and there…. and they would sell as well…. after many years and even moving out of state to ABQ for three years (the whole time I didn’t do any artwork) my wife urged me to start making paper mache corazons again…. and so it began… during the covid quarantine I got a chance to experiment with different processes and materials. Yolanda Garcia, the owner of Casita del Pueblo asked if I wanted to have a solo show for the re-opening of her gallery post covid….. I have always been hesitant to have a show of my own… she convinced me that the body of work that I created during covid was ready for public viewing…. we scheduled the show for the weekend of my 50th birthday… I figured that if nothing sold, at least I got to see some old faces that I haven’t seen in over a year… turned out to be a success!!! Friends that I’ve known since as early as 7th grade came by to view my work. Not to mention that the show almost completely sold out!!!
A couple of weeks went by and I was contacted by Diana Diaz of Mexichic asked if I would like to participate in a collective of Latina vendors who would be interested in expanding their brands… it is called the Goddess Mercado that takes place every 2nd sat of the month and the Queer Mercado that is the 3rd Sat of every month…I’ve never vended before and took a chance… once again…. great success….. so, here I am…. excited to see what comes next…. with these crazy times… who the hell knows…
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
It has absolutely not been a smooth road… life gets in the way… obligations, family, and time.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I work in manufacturing as a planner…. being in manufacturing, you get the idea of how things work…. as far as supply chain and assembly. Being a planner lets you break down the processes of making something. I’m mostly known for my paper mache – but recently, it’s been more of my resin work.
What sets me apart from the others……… you have to get to know me to find out.
What are your plans for the future?
I’ve been asked to work with an amazing artist/installer/curator/art handler who has had great success here in LA.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @__tinaLAtina__
