Life & Work with Marina Aguilera of Orange County

Today we’d like to introduce you to Marina Aguilera.

Hi Marina, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
When I was finally old enough to hold a crayon in hand, my art story began.

After long days at work, my father would sit beside me at the table and draw. My pops would carefully whittle down pencil ends and gather scraps of paper, making sure I always had enough supplies within reach to keep my imagination alive. He didn’t just hand me a pencil… he handed me belief.

At fourteen, in 1974, in Santa Ana, California, I began painting heartfelt, inspirational murals alongside other young artists. Together, we transformed graffiti-ravaged walls into vibrant statements of hope and culture. Within a decade, we painted between thirty and forty murals. Though not one of them was preserved, their torch lives on.

In the 1980s, I began drawing caricatures for a company collaborating with the Disneyland Hotel. This eventually blossomed into my own venture, Caricatures by Marina, an event company that carried my talent and others across Southern California. I drew guests from around the globe. To this day, I continue drawing, people, capturing joy in a matter of minutes with ink and intuition.

In my young adult years, I envisioned creating a Latina greeting card company, Cali Caliente Designs, greeting card art that would reflect, inspire, and connect with the community I loved so deeply. But I was newly divorced, raising four young children, forced in
The position of being Mom and Dad, navigating survival and responsibility. Timing wasn’t aligned with the realities at the this time, I held the dream close for I knew I would return.

Sometime later, I sketched this positive little guy who would eventually become “Que Pasa Homeboy”, and few years ago, created him into an air freshener, born from culture, class and pride. This aligned beautifully with the resurgence of car culture, and the Que Pasa Homeboy Air freshener found his place within that car culture world, classy, proud, and rooted in heritage.

I returned to painting with renewed fire — bringing passion, love, persistence, and the strength of womanhood into every brushstroke.

Today, I am also designing and creating public art installations meant to last a lifetime. Alongside my daughter, Andrea, we bring visions into reality, together we design, build, and make it happen. What began at my father’s kitchen table has become a generational collaboration, a continuation of creativity passed down and carried forward.

As a woman, an artist, and a visionary, I have learned this: you must dust yourself off. You must push through. No matter what life places in front of you, take your needed time, then, you keep moving forward!’

Because art like resilience — never truly disappears. It waits. And when you’re ready, it rises once more!

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
A smooth ride, it has not been, however, my Mother always said what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger! These rocks along our paths, these pebbles in our shoes can be removed and kicked to the curb!
Never forget who you are! There’s only one of you!

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m a creator of many sorts. I have been a Caricature Artist for 40 years, have and still create public Artwork for the masses. I have my Air Freshener and Greeting Card company in full force. and I am most proud of leaving a legacy of being an Artist that offers art for all!

Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
Follow your intuition, Early on, I listened to others that did not believe in my journey. That’s ok, people will give their two cents however, remember this is your journey… not theirs.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://QuePasaHomeboy.com
• Instagram: Laartistamarina

Image Credits
Joel Ortiz