Daily Inspiration: Meet Frankie Gutierrez

Today we’d like to introduce you to Frankie Gutierrez.

Hi Frankie, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
When I was a child, I was obsessed with the Yellow Submarine movie, especially the blue meanies, and I think if you squint at my work, you can still see its influence. Once I got older, like anyone from my generation, that influence shifted toward Japanese graphic art (manga). I used to try and draw the characters from the shows I would see and even the ones I had never seen before I obsessed over the colors, the technical skill, and the character design. Growing up I did not have any formal art classes or training so I entered college with zero expectations of what my artwork should look like and absolutely no idea who I was as a young woman starting to express themself for the first time through visual art. All I knew was that I wanted to be an artist. I didn’t know how I would get there but I was determined to make work and be a creative person. I initially went to school for Illustration and loved it but needed to break out of the design/formal illustration rules. So I find myself in a Master of Fine Arts program at California State University, San Bernardino, now a trans man, and happy with what I’m making. I feel like I have my own style and voice and I’m making work about queer people, specifically trans people in the way I’ve always wanted to. I just hope I’m making my community proud.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I would say there have been some struggles along the way, obviously me struggling with my gender identity/cultural identity as a Latinx/e person and its relation to my artwork. I mostly struggle with how much of myself I should reveal in my work and if anyone really wants to hear about such things from some random guy. I’ve discovered that yes, people want to hear about it because it’s relatable to other questioning queer people. If I can help anyone with my artwork or by sharing my experiences, I don’t consider it a struggle but more of a community-building moment.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I consider myself an Illustrator, painter, and printmaker but really my work is a confused mixed bag of too many things to count. I use paint, markers, crayon, ink, spray paint, glitter, found objects, and the list goes on. I draw influence from the things I love; trans people, frogs, puppets, 1950s illustrations, and the trans artists that came before me.

At the moment, my primary focus is printmaking specifically woodblock and woodcut. There’s something about wood carving that I really love. I don’t know how to describe it other than that I love working with my hands and making images this way brings me an immense amount of satisfaction. My work’s primary purpose is to be silly images for the queer community to look at, relate to, and enjoy. I feel that so much of the queer experience, and especially the trans experience involves pain, a deep communal pain from watching your friends and family struggle through the world. If I can make something that brings joy or small moments of happiness and at times be critical of our community, I’m happy with my work and why I chose to make it.

How do you define success?
I think success is a deeply personal thing, it depends on the person, cultural background, age, ability, and so many other factors. To me, I’m successful if I’m enjoying what I am making, teaching others something about my work or art-making, and if I’m happy.

Contact Info:

• Website: frankiegutierrez.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eczemavictim/?hl=en