Maybe Something Beautiful Book Trailer

Finding Direction for Bravo!

Process painting on wood-searching for direction

Study of Cesar Chavez

Sometimes I like working more traditionally. This was a study on wood of Cesar Chavez for an upcoming book Bravo! written by my friend, the gifted poet Margarita Engle. I ended up creating a more graphic and conceptual approach to the portraits of Latino heroes but this was a great activity to help me find my direction. Our book is due out next year.

Maybe Something Beautiful Mural

San Diego Cooperative Charter School 2 Before

New Mural painted for El día de los niños/El día de los libros [Children's Day/Book Day] 

Community at work.

Maybe Something Beautiful Book Team: Author Isabel Campoy, Editor Jeannette E. Larson HMH, Stefanie Von Borstel of Full Circle Literary and Author Theresa Howell.

Grateful to SDCCS 2 Principal Anthony Villaseñor

Reading the story with authors Theresa Howell & Isabel Camply

Had a great time this last week preparing and painting the Maybe Something Beautiful mural to celebrate Children's Day/Book Day and the release of Maybe Something Beautiful. Thanks to all the amazing kids, volunteers, families and artist friends who made it possible at the San Diego Cooperative Charter School 2 in southeast San Diego.

¿Cachai? Chile

¿Cachai? is a popular expression that means do you catch or do your know? I just returned from an amazing trip to Chile, invited by Nido de Aguilas to speak to kids about making books. Wanted to share some memories and thank the many new friends I made along the way.

Connecting with new Librarian friends at Nido de Aguilas, Chile

Visiting Villalobos studio with Antonia López and Nevenka Pavic in Valparaiso, Chile

Peeling Textures

Museo Violeta Parra

Valparaiso

Liguria, one of the oldest and coolest restaurants in downtown Santiago

Coming Soon! A new book Maybe Something Beautiful and a new mural

Vertical Spread from MAYBE SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL

On Tuesday April 12 Maybe Something Beautiful hits the shelves. It combines the talents of F. Isabel Campoy and Theresa Howell and tells the story of Mira who together with a muralist and the community bring color and joy to her gray city. You can follow the action on facebook as murals inspired this book which has inspired an upcoming mural.

Looking forward to creating a new mural with children and families in Barrio Logan, San Diego on April 30, 2016. Details on the way.

diversions

A week I ago I dreamt about this tiger from India and had to wake up early in the morning to paint him.

His face blushing in shame. The temptation proved too strong for Ferdinand the Bull as he munches away at the last flower that bloomed on his hilltop.

After learning that Little Red Riding Hood and Grandma haven't spoken in years, the wolf goes for Plan B. Red however is very clever and decides to shop online.

Time Lapse Mural Magic

This time lapse video of a second mural I created for Coasterra condenses a week's work to around 2 minutes. It's visual caffeine so put your seat belt on. Grateful to my hard working, talented assistants Daniel Renner and Brie Witko as well as my friend Gil Gutierrez for his vibrant music.

   

Mural Making

Had fun last week making the first of two COASTERRA murals for the Cohn Restaurant Group and this time lapse video.

Second Mural for Lurie Children's Hospital in downtown Chicago

Excited to create a second mural for Lurie Children's Hospital in downtown Chicago. Grateful to be part of their important work to speed healing to children.

New Mural for Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago

Please click on the mural to view it large

New Posters for Americas Latino Eco Festival

I was asked to conceptualize and design this series of four posters for the Americas Latino Eco Festival September 11-15, 2014 in Boulder Colorado. I teamed up with a talented young Latina designer and 2014 graphic design graduate of San Diego City College Lulubi Garcia who crafted the fresh type. Looking forward to painting a mural with young people to further the vision of this organization. ALEF is an environmental campaign of Americas for Conservation + the Arts  to strengthen the voice of the Latino community on issues relating to climate change and environmental justice.

New Paintings on their way to Yale-New Haven Children's Hospital

I've just completed three 30 by 40 inch paintings for Yale-New Haven Hospital. This facility for children gives as much attention to a child's emotional needs as they do for caring for their illness. Kids are nurtured in a place designed especially to care for them in a unique way. U.S. News called it one of the best children's hospitals and they specialize in hard to treat cancers and metabolic disorders. When infants and children have severe diseases they often don't respond to conventional therapies so they use specialized techniques to support them.

The Joy of Making Stuff

Growing up my mom would pack my three squealing sisters and I into a lime green station wagon and drive us down dusty backroads to little towns all over central Mexico. Men with weathered hands pounded silver in Taxco, Metepec women in white embroidered blouses turned clay into mermaids and in Texcoco they blew glass into big round balls that reminded me of planets.

I loved seeing those artisans trust their intuition and make naive art so beautiful. Not everything had to be planned. They played and had fun. So when Santiago told me he wanted to make a birdhouse I knew it would be a great opportunity to spend time together. I wanted my son to experience that same joy-the joy of making stuff.