Today we’d like to introduce you to Juan Gomez.
Juan, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
I was born in 1982 in Santa Ana California, I’m the third of five children, my parents emigrated from Zacatecas, Mexico in the late 60’s. After many years of working my Mom decided to stay home and raise us and my Dad was our main financial support. From early on my mom encouraged me to draw since she would do it herself from time to time. My Dad, a truck driver would have his creative side jobs at home making metal railings and doors; so, from a young age, it was influential for me to see them pursue their creative outlets. Even at that time, it became very clear to me that I wanted to pursue a career in the arts. This all started with banging pots and pans while listening to music and I’d also doodle quite a lot. As a kid, I would doodle, color, and catalog everything. I’d keep drawings I liked and discarded others even using the discarded ones for future projects.
My parents always instilled the importance of hard work and dedication. So, I was convinced that I could put these values towards a career in fine arts. I knew initially a degree would not lead me directly to a job related to that field but I began working at public libraries to support myself as I pursued my degree. In 2010 I graduated with a Bachelors in Fine Arts in Drawing in Painting from California State University Fullerton.
Currently, I work a full-time job within library services and have held up a consistent art practice. Recently I moved into a studio at Artist Coop/Creative Studios in Long Beach, which is helping me continue with my practice and grow as an artist. I’m actively working on big body of work, participating in exhibitions, going to art shows, and supporting my fellow peers in their respective creative fields.
Can you give our readers some background on your art?
I work primarily in two-dimensional surfaces, I usually produce mixed media paintings, drawings, and collages. What interests me in working in this fashion is that it gives me the opportunity to manipulate plastic, oil, and mineral based materials to tell a story or share an experience. I am a painter but I also feel that I am a storyteller, by continuing to share within my work an oral history passed down from generations within my family and other circles that shared tales from the same rural beginnings my ancestors originated from.
Much of this oral information has influenced me and fed my work because it was ingrained into me at a very young age. Although my parents moved to the US, they always came back to their places of birth. Growing up my parents would take my siblings and I to the state of Zacatecas, Mexico to allow us to maintain a relationship with family and their hometown. Immediately I was drawn to these rural towns that were on the verge of losing their rustic identities. I was influenced by all the history that existed there and the mystical quality found in the old Adobe structures that surrounded these towns. I was told by someone many years ago, that you could sit in one of these old adobe homes, listen to the wind and hear sounds from the past. These spaces were windows into the past and they served as visual reminder of where people came from. Over time, of course, these towns took up a more modern way of life, many individuals passed on, and the old ways died.
Many portions of these experiences disappeared physically but they exist spiritually within me. My work is an attempt to keep these experiences alive, honor important individuals that have passed on, and maintain ties to my heritage. What I’m trying to say in my work is that it’s important to remember where you come from culturally, it shapes who you are, and it’s a blueprint for living your life circle; allowing it to guide you finding strength within your own roots.
My work right now is a reaction to social upheavals and behaviors we’ve symbolically, as a country, tried to sweep under the rug. These negative factors affect minorities including those coming into this county trying to find something better than what they’ve left behind. My work is a reaction to the lines drawn in the sand, the social divisions, and economic divisions that still exist today. I’m reacting to these things within my work using symbolism that promotes finding strength within our own roots to face incoming social struggles with fortitude, mobility, and conviction.
Any advice for aspiring or new artists?
Yes! I’d say, first of all, do not let rejection bring you down. Rejection is part of our creative path and it is important that you keep the faith, continue fighting the good fight as well as consistently continue creating. Secondly, it is imperative that you support your peers. Go to their shows, connect with other artists, and maintain a healthy network. Develop a good support system with other artist which can take time but worth it. Lastly, put your phone down and get to work!
What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
You can see my work along with works in progress at my studio at the lovely Artist Coop/Creative Studios in Long Beach (shout out to my studio mate Eric Leffler).
Anyone can schedule a studio visit by contacting me by email at [email protected], website at www.juangomez.org and any of my social media pages. Instagram @juanmgomezvisual and Facebook. I announce my art shows and events that I will be participating in all three of these platforms.
I will be participating in the Mid-City Studio Tour in Long Beach on June 1st and 2nd as well as preparing for my solo show set for October 19 at Greenly Art Space in Signal Hill. Anyone interested can definitely come and see my work during these events.
Contact Info:
- Address: Artist Coop Creative Studios
1330 Gladys Ave, Long Beach, CA 90804 - Website: www.juangomez.org
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/juanmgomezvisual/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JuanMGomezjr
- Other: http://artslb.org/artists/juan-m-gomez/
Image Credit:
2 Photos from Lupita Gomez-Lamas, the rest provided by the artist.
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