Francisco Palomares September 14, 2026

Life & Work with Francisco Palomares of Los Angeles

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Francisco Palomares.

Hi Francisco, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My family were immigrants. They settled in East LA.
AP Art Studio in high school. Ryman Arts. Art camp. That is where it started, a scholarship kid with a folder of drawings.
Cal State Long Beach for the BFA. Then China. Then Florence.
Then the piñata came.
It is the elephant in the room. I put it where it does not belong, inside old European landscapes, Constable skies, Dutch Golden Age light. Some people see celebration. Some see protest. I do not say which one is right. That is the point.
Cheech Marin has one now. Buffalo AKG Museum put my work in a touring show, crossing the whole country.
Today I paint out of studio in the historic Bendix Building in Los Callejones.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The problem is there is only twenty four hours in a day. Only one of me.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I paint piñatas inside old European landscapes. Constable skies, Dutch Golden Age light, something that does not belong, existing anyway. Also landscapes, life painting, prints, commissions. Whatever moves me.

I am proud my artwork has traveled further than I have. Buffalo, Des Moines, Phoenix, the U.S. Embassy in Bucharest. Places I have never stood in, my paintings already there.

What sets me apart is ideas. Anybody can learn brushwork. Not everybody grows up looking at a piñata and a Rembrandt in the same year and decides to put them in one painting.

Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
I am a product of my community. East LA raised me. My mom, first believer, first critic. Collectors who support my vision. Chingones. My people, the ones who show up. Nobody does this alone.

Contact Info:

Website: https://www.PalomaresBLVD.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/palomaresblvd/?hl=en

Colorful unicorn sculpture made of flowers or fabric in a rural landscape with trees, hills, and a small house.

Street view with a liquor store sign reading 'Olympic Liquor' and cars parked nearby, under a partly cloudy sky.

A jar labeled 'Fabuloso' holds orange marigold flowers, with some flowers and petals scattered on a colorful striped tablecloth.

Colorful, plush animal sculpture resembling a zebra with a blue head, pink body, yellow and blue stripes, standing outdoors under a cloudy sky.

A bouquet of colorful flowers in a Clorox bleach container on a marble surface with a marble background.

Vase with pink and white flowers, butterflies, fans, and a waterfall background, inside a window frame.

Person with long hair in a white embroidered shirt, standing indoors near a window with a blue sky and clouds, a hat on a table.

Flower shop display with colorful arrangements and signs, set against a blue sky background.

Image Credits
Artist portrait – Stacy Soriano

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