Provided by the Artist
I’ve always been an artist. As long as I can remember I’ve always loved drawing and painting. At the early age of seven years old I was fascinated with drawing stick horses and cowboys.

I was fortunate to go to college and study art at St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas. I will always credit my high school counselor for assisting me in filling out and submitting paperwork under a two year free tuition scholarship through the C.A.M.P.-College Assistant Migrant Program. I was not fortunate enough to afford my education at St. Edwards the following year so I returned home and started temporary employment at Del Rio Council for the Arts. I worked there for several months and in the meantime was applying and got all my credits transferred to the University of Texas at El Paso. I took all my fine arts credits at the University, but did not graduate. I got all my credits and I officially got my fine arts degree certification through Sul Ross State University in 1991 here in Del Rio, Texas. This would not have been possible if I did not have the support from my girlfriend who is now my wife.

I started doing professional visual arts freelance work through the Texas Commission on the Arts for several years doing artist residencies, substituting and became a teacher’s aide at our local schools. I became closely affiliated with Comite Cultural del Pueblo in the barrio of San Felipe in Del Rio, Texas. To this date I have done extensive community work painting murals and having annual solo, group exhibits, and painting murals.

My most recognizable accomplishments have been a book published in 2005 entitled Four Decades of Mexican American Art/Triumph of our Communities where 4 of my artwork images were featured. My artwork has been collected by renowned art collectors such as Dr. Gil Cardenas-Notre Dame, Dr. Ricardo Romo and many other individuals throughout the State of Texas and the United States. My most recent art sale was to art collector Adrianna Abarca from Denver Colorado. And lastly, receiving my Teacher Certification that helped me secure full time employment.

I continue to work as a High School Art Teacher in Del Rio, Texas and exhibiting and selling my artwork and that has been extremely rewarding.

Artist Mission Statement:

I am an artist that is deeply rooted in the Chicano way of life! I would not live my life any other way. My parents left their Mexican heritage legacy for me to preserve, promote and cherish. My artwork can be identified, or described as the barrio genre with a universal twist to it. I reflect on memories of my childhood in the form of a narrative in order to make a connection with my Mexican American livelihood and as a means to document. I am traditional in all that I do as a chicano visual artist. In my drawings and paintings I address and capture the essence of rich bold color, and the sabor of the barrio. Most of my art concepts revolve around my life experiences and just about everything that I see around me everyday!
My art is aimed at capturing the simple reality of life in america.
I paint what I like, and use it as a tool for positive change. I can say that my art is a form of therapy, and make it a goal aimed to connect with the Mexican American community and capture the essence of
family, and hope.
Cover Art Provided from the Collection of Ricardo and Harriet Romo.