East Los Angeles is where it started for me. I was born into an over the top Latino family where chaos and hard city life was an everyday occurrence. I was the latest addition to the Gonzales family and the first child of my single mother who was 19. Half Mexican and half Brazilian decent I was a little girl with frizzy curly Latina hair. The best thing about humble beginnings as a small child is that it’s easy to forgive poverty or not even recognizing it at all. At age 4 I was drawn to all the broken glass at the end of the street from different color beer bottles. There I saw my first mosaic that sparkled in the sun. The sharpness of the glass in my small hands was amazing in its texture. I always saw things a little differently.
This was my first taste of art. I used everything as my medium including mud, broken terra cotta pots, and even the stamens from the center of flowers to color in my coloring book.
Later I grew up and became a professional make-up artist and worked with MAC cosmetics for a number of years. This is where women were my canvas and I was drawn into the energy of my artwork speaking back to me. It was rock star artistry at its best.
Now I actually use canvas and I am concentrating on everyday art. From urban art to classical I am drawn to it all. I don’t have a particular style of art it’s just mine. Painful and playful just like my life. I hope you enjoy it.