Featured Artist

“One Artist's Struggle For Acceptance”

From a very young age, artist Gilbert Vasquez of Santa Ana, California, has held the love of his birthplace deep in his heart with the hop of one day becoming a successful artist. Things don't always happen th way that we hope, however, Gil's first obstacle in his endeavor to be an artist was being born and raised in a dysfunctional and alcohol-plagued fami Except for his mother, who recognized his natural creative temperame and his father, who worked hard to support him, Gil's family was not overly sympathetic. The older siblings could only be brutal to Gil because as the tenth sibling they perceived him as an unwanted economic burden plus t resented and ignored his intelligence, talent and creativity.

Their abuse was never ending, yet, in spite of them, Gil work with unshakable and tireless dedication, developing, and embrac his artistic talent while exploring different types of art forms, such as bodybuilding, martial arts and music. His creativity showed him that he ha something good, something beyond limitations, people's failure to acknowledge and respect it. Gil admits, "It was my gift that saved me from feeling completely unconnected, worthless and unwanted." So in the face of savage abuse, mistakes and failures, art was a safe space were the world could not enter. It's the inner core of creativity that Christ when asked to

described heaven said, "There will be time no longer."

Gil attended Cal State Fullerton, earning a bachelor of fine a degree in Graphic Design, but it wasn't easy. Gil had the awful experience of a professor verbally attacking him. "The only thing that you ha done for your people was having been born one!" declared the mad professor. To make things worse, it was the last class that he needed to complete his degree. The professor even said that Gil had no business in college although Gil had made the Dean’s and the University President’s honor rolls. Gil could only think of how hard he had worked to finis his education and the love for the son he was raising. These we the driving forces behind his dedication to his art and education. Gil remained cool and calm, as the verbal attacks and racist insults became m vicious.

Gil told LRA,"I still didn't let this professor get to me, he look so deranged, he eyes were bulging out from behind his thick ey glasses, and his neck muscles were taut as ropes. Then the crazy profess lost it completely, blowing up and shouting in a rage at the top of lungs, “Get the fuck out of here!" Gil slowly arose from his seat, feeling pain and trauma of the years of injustice swells in his soul. He softly s to the professor, "If anybody belongs on the streets, it's you." Gil

reported this incident and went through the grievance system, but was completely ignored. Gil noted that the nutty professor later asserted tha was his “freedom of expression” to spew his hate speech.

Another time, Gil got what he thought was a complete scholarship to attend Chapman, a private college in Orange County. So he went to the school to register, but was told that he had to pay a $30 registration f He asked them to take it out of his scholarship, but was refused. Later he was told to meet with the head of the art department to show him his portfolio. Gil took his best drawings to the older gentleman, who, after looking through the portfolio seemed genuinely impressed. Gil's registration was ultimately denied. They claimed that they had given him only a “partia scholarship” and he did not have the means nor help to come-up with the balance. Gil wishes they had told him that upfront before paying $30, however, and, of course, they kept his $30.

Some of his struggles have been this way, hand to hand all t way, and unfortunately some communities have a problem understanding the man and his art. Recently, Gil was actively involved in a program to increase Latino artists' participation in a government-funded art project in Santa Ana. He agreed to paint three murals on the outside of the old South California Gas Company building in the styles of three great Mexican muralists, but

because of a complaint from a wealthy but culturally ignoran women who didn't understand nor respect his artwork, he was kicked to curb again. Gil says, “The director for the building's owner, shouted as h lunged toward me, "What do you think you're doing?" Are you crazy? Who d you think you are? I want you cleared out by tomorrow!" Gil had hung some of his figurative paintings on the inside walls of the building where had set up a temporary studio while working on the outside murals. They took them all down including a portrait of his late mother.

A survivor, Gil too is still fighting the battle for his art and unfortunately many artists of color go through this in their own communiti Gil also heard through a source that some of the artists in the city's project kidded that they were going to burn down his murals. He felt hurt a then angry; to the point of thinking that he would beat down whoever tried damage his work. Many communities want to be culturally known and it wellknown fact that art is the way to do it, but without an understanding of the different styles and individuality of every artist, problems lik this will continue. It has been said that his work is sometimes provocative and misrepresented. Witness his project titled, "The Eagle and th Serpent." Gil is his own model for the transformed serpent/human

transforming into an eagle. “My growth into the use of digital art and technology came as an extension of my training as a Computer Aided Designer (CAD said Gil.

Yet, his stylized art is not the only style that he knows. Gil h a thorough knowledge of different styles, disciplines and techniques. So much so that he has taught fine art to different grade levels, attempting t educate through his dedication and determination whether others recognize it or not. Gil feels that to eventually make inroads into the art industr the youth must be prepared from a very young age. Gil has opened th artistic gates in his community through the quality and cultural relevance his work and through his students, murals, and newsprint stories. Teachi gives Gil the opportunity to give back of his God-given talents. It also giv him great joy to praise and acknowledge his student's work. If Gil had received this same kind of emotional support during his own education years, w knows how much more he would have been able to achieve with h work. Lowrider Arte Magazine By Armando M. Avila Featured Artist: Gilbert Vasquez 714.558 2998 • gilbertvasquez.com