Recent interview »
Things are getting closer to my solo show in Oregon. The months seem like hours now. I recently did an interview with the Fenario gallery coordinator Chloe Gallagher. check out her blog at welovescotch.blogspot.com
At the Mint last night »
Live at the mint, Los Angeles from Steven Lopez on Vimeo.
Doin’ it to the groove. I promise the next time I paint I will use a different color palette.
The CRLA benefit »
It was a hot day. There was so much food and art going around. My good friend Tazroc and I arrived at 2 PM and began painting on canvas while the event was underway. I chose to paint a portrait of Dolores Huerta. I met her once while I was going to school in Oregon. She is a small woman but I could sense that she had some big chanclas. The woman does big things; so my painting was a homage to her spirit.
Here’s Taz getting busy with the first layer. This thing was already sold by this point. This cat’s can control is second to none.
At the end of the evening I was introduced to an outstanding actor, Sal Lopez. It was an honor to meet someone that has been involved in ground breaking films. 
Benefit for CRLA, Steamers, and the Mint »
Tomorrow, the California Rural Legal Assistance (CRLA) will be celebrating 42 years of working with over 40,000 farmworkers, immigrants and rural families. They will hold an art auction as part of their Tardeada fundraiser at the home of Tomas Olmos and Dolores Leal. I will have one finished piece in the auction and I will also be doing a live piece for the auction. I’m happy to have the auction conducted by Armando Duron. He is the highly respected and armired Chicano Art expert, collector and attorney. it never hurts to have that all wrapped into one person! Check out the event invitation.
If everything goes as plan I should be out at Steamers on Sunday night… and then once again at The mint for the Groove Pocket Jazz session on Monday night.
FYI. I have a couple of finished pieces that I need to get uploaded by next week. fiyah!
The frequency of love »
I once read that we are condensed masses of energy. All around us there is energy flowing in and out of this world and our minds. Remember those times when we are sad or depressed? That is a slow frequency resonating not only in us but to those around as well. Those are the times when people can “sense” something is wrong. it is also when our minds and bodies are clouded with polluted jargon. On the flip side….love is a frequency that is fast and high. Check out this video of vibrations. The sound is loud so adjust it to your level.
Notice how complex and balanced the design becomes as the frequency (vibrations) become higher and faster. That’s what love is…artistic and balanced. What a beautiful way to look at it.
New idea »
I started this idea on Sunday thinking about a sunset and woman with a nouveau twist. I didn’t know what I was going to do with them but I hammered out an idea… my sketches are rarely finished drawings. They are more like the bare essentials of what I want to see. The main components are there… I just need to fill in the blanks.
Im off to a good start…I got rid of the sun and chose to go with a subdued sunset. I’ll have to figure out the texture on the snake within the next couple of days.
Planet greendizzle on that Alter Eco tip, June 23rd »
My esteemed hard working friend Eric Ritz over at Global Inheritance got me involved on a segment of Alter Eco on the new Planet Green network. I was there with a couple of other artists. It was a cool time. I was kind of surprised to see that cat Adrian Grenier at the GI headquarters.
He’s the host of the show. As we painted I guess they were going to choose a recycle bin for a vegan restaurant some where in LA (that narrows it down, eh?). Well, mine got chosen. And like good ol’ fashion clock work, I didn’t take pictures of it. Maybe if you tune in 9 PM EST, you’ll be able to see it…..and me too! So at the end of the day the camera crew chose to interview me about my design, about Global Inheritance… you know, the positive stuff.
If any of you people can record the show and make it into an mpeg or whatever…I would be willing to barter a paper print from my gallery-shop. Sounds like a deal?
Meeting Jill Scott »
I’ve had this pic on file for a bit. The story is about 3 years old.
My sister and I had chosen to live out an extraordinary event. With the help of my mother and sister, I was able to present this artwork to Jill Scott when she performed in LA at the Gibson. That evening taught me that our own minds can doubt the powers to realize goals. I wasn’t going to take the painting with me because I had thought to myself that there was no way I could give it to her in person. And get this… my mother told me I should have it put on stage. OKAY my own doubt said I don’t even know if I could get it to her… let alone handle the impossible task of getting it put on stage. But I said to myself, “take it just in case”.
Well at the end of the concert there seemed to be a lot of X factors. The pieces of the puzzle started falling into place. I asked a photographer if she could help me. She went out of her way to grab Jill’s assistant. One domino fell into the other, dig? My sister and I waited for a minute; Lance shows up and I start talking about the painting and showing him the pics (just to let him know that I wasn’t full of it). I think My sister was the clincher for the deal. She had that innocence that made him a firm believer in our goal.
He tells us to wait and that he will call me in 20 minutes. My doubt was still in effect so I started thinking to myself that it wasn’t going to happen. So there we are waiting in an empty parking lot…. hoping for the phone call. *ring*, “Hello? Gate six? We’re on our way!” I started the car and scrambled for gate six. My sister is frantically looking for any signs leading to gate six. Once we find it we zoom past the security guard who yells out, “HEY!” I was so nervous and excited that my tunnel vision didn’t have security vision. I yell out, “My name is Steven Lopez!” and like another puzzle fitting the puzzle he says, “Okay I was notified of you, go ahead.” Alright, now I’m really tripping out because it sounds like this is really going to happen. We make it to the back side of the amphitheater and we wait. Her band is there and the rest of the entourage. I brought out my painting and we waited and mingled.
Now all I here is, “Wow, wow, wow, wow….” and it’s her little stature breaking through the crowd and b-lining it to my painting. She asked who did it and the fingers point to me. My sister is shouting out, “my big brother did it! My brother did it!” “Is this for me?” she asked. I told her that her music has touched me greatly over the past couple of years and that I needed to give her something back. If she was acting that night…she sure fooled me. She kept on exclaiming, “This art, it’s me. This is me, this is who I’m”.
Now remember that self doubt I had? About me getting that painting on stage? Well it turns out I didn’t have to ask. She told me that she was going to put it on stage for the rest of her tour. She backed stepped and ask, “what do you want for it?” I told her I didn’t want anything. It was a straight up gift for a gift. She was blown away by that and said that other artists have charged her for gifts. She shares her gift and I felt the need to share mine as well.
So can you believe that? My mother had seen the future and I was a sucker for fearing it! I painted that picture because i wanted to give it to her. I saw the big picture but I let the details scare me. And yet all of my friends and family said that they knew I was going to meet her. I guess everyone knew my capacity except for me. I hope you enjoyed that story. check it out.
This Friday at Chula Vista »
Jah Gallery , Urban Rebel and California Sound lighting are bringing a gallery show to the San Diego Masses. This is the second stop in this traveling show. I will have two pieces of work there. Both contrasting each other. My friend Saratoga Sake will be in effect. I really like his stuff and I’m glad to know him for some time.
For more info on the first show in San Francisco check it.
This is an inspiration »
I’ve watched this so many times. Mr. Icke talks about his awakening and how immaturity passes as adulthood. It helped bring perspective in my life when I watched it a couple of years ago. This interview gave me visuals and title for this artwork. Please watch:
