EL MAC x PRADA : "In the heart of the multitude"

So I'm a little late posting this due to some ongoing health problems, but here are some process and finished shots of some murals I painted last month for PRADA at their headquarters in Milan. The murals were created as part of a project titled "In the Heart of the Multitude", which was the environment for the Spring/Summer '14 Prada Women's fashion show. I painted three different women in the space, guided by themes of beauty, femininity, and power. One of my biggest inspirations for this was the work of Alphonse Mucha, who mastered the rendering of women and beauty like no other. A single hand drawn by Mucha could convey as much expression as a face, and his signature hair patterns influenced the world of decorative arts. I'd like to hope that a bit of this spirit, and his view of beauty as being something potentially sacred (as opposed to frivolous) might have shown through in my work. I titled these pieces "Sueños y Polvo de Estrellas"(Dreams and Stardust).
It was an honor to be involved in such a prestigious project. My thanks to 2x4, Mrs.Prada, Michele, Nadia, Giacomo, and everyone else at Prada who helped make this happen. Thanks to mi amor Kim for  being there and helping throughout my sickness. Thanks also to Melody, Carol, and Erica for modeling.
More details HERE.

"La Señora de la Muerte" - new mural in LA for FX's The Bridge

Here are some shots of a new mural I just painted in Los Angeles. It's my interpretation of Mictecacihuatl, or la Señora de La Muerte. The mural was sponsored by FX in promotion of their new series The Bridge. The show is set in El Paso/Juarez and deals with some of the border issues and violence there, which is an important subject for me. I lived near there for a little while when I was younger and have some very good friends from there, so the region has always been close to my heart. This mural project had a lot of significance for me, and I'm honored to be a part of what looks to be a very interesting and unique series.
Many thanks to Danny Hernandez, FX, Iconisus, and LeadDog for helping make this mural possible. Thanks to Eric Heights and Todd Mazer for documenting (including the photos above), thanks to Trixter, Kim, Kazue, Plek & UTI crew and everyone else that provided ground support, and thanks to Carol Dequech for modeling.

"Purity of Heart" triptych : Latest mural project in Denmark

Here are some shots of my second mural project in Aalborg, Denmark, titled "Purity of Heart". The title of this triptych comes from the popular book by Søren Kierkegaard, Purity of Heart Is to Will One Thing.

"A Providence watches over each man’s wandering through life. It provides him with two guides. The one calls him forward. The other calls him back. They are, however, not in opposition to each other, these two guides, nor do they leave the wanderer standing there in doubt, confused by the double call. Rather the two are in eternal understanding with each other. For the one beckons forward to the Good, the other calls man back from evil. Nor are they blind guides. Just for that reason there are two of them. For in order to make the journey secure, they must look both forward and backward."

This was commissioned by Martin Nielsen, who recently renovated this century old orphanage. The murals face a large assisted living facility, and every day I painted I felt an extra sense of obligation to my elderly audience to make something beautiful. I also wanted to paint a powerful, dignified portrait of my friend Dame's father Fabian, who has been battling cancer for years.
Painting this was an amazing experience. Many thanks to the Nielsen family and Galerie Wolfsen for making this happen. Thanks also, once again, to Ari & Lone for all their help. Thanks to Lacheln & Fabian for posing, and to everyone else that showed support.

"Our Lady of Aalborg" : New Mural in Denmark

Here are shots of a mural I just painted in Aalborg, Denmark while there for my solo show at Galerie Wolfsen. The mural is titled "Our Lady of Aalborg". It's across the street from the maternity ward of Aalborg University Hospital, so an iconic symbol of motherly love seemed appropriate for this location. Painting this was complicated by unpredictable weather and rain, but it was a great experience. Painting three stories up in a lift while it's raining isn't so bad, at least in retrospect. Many thanks to Rasmus and Kent of Galerie Wolfsen for making this mural possible. Thanks also to my brother from another mother Ari Bracamonte for providing ground support for the entire process. Thanks also to Bri Acsani for modeling, Lone Allen for her help, and everyone else that showed support.

Solo show in Denmark + Group show in Los Angeles

Just a quick little update on a couple upcoming gallery shows.

I'm having a solo show this month opening May 16th at Galerie Wolfsen in Aalborg, Denmark. This will be my first solo show in Europe, and the first one since 2010. I'm really excited to be back in Denmark again and show work here.
*Update* The opening has been pushed from May 8th to the 16th due to a small medical emergency at the gallery. All's good. Apologies!



I'm also showing a new painting in "Selfish", a group show of self-portraits at Katherine Cone Gallery in Los Angeles. The show opens May 4th and runs until June 22nd. It should be good..

Mural commissioned by Rapt Studio for Adobe

I was commissioned by Rapt Studio of San Francisco to paint this mural for the new Adobe campus in Utah. It was exciting and an honor to be part of such a cool project, since Adobe has become such an important force in modern creativity through programs like Photoshop, and the building itself is a huge work of art.
I consider myself somewhat of a traditionalist, in that I favor a classical approach to art that emphasizes drawing from life, painting from observation, studying the great masters of the past, etc. I also embrace the use of modern tools such as photography and, of course, spraypaint (although you could argue that those examples aren't really that recent considering that people were blowing pigment on cave walls over 40,000 years ago, and the camera obscura has been around since the time of Leonardo Da Vinci). For this company that has had such a huge technological impact on art over the last few decades I wanted to paint an image representing an innocent approach to creativity, something that could convey the fundamental appeal and power of creation that's inside all of us.
Many thanks to Cory and everyone at Rapt Studio, Adobe, MTN, Kim, Carol & Noah, and especially Milena for modeling.
Process photos above by Weston Colton


This is a pretty classy video just released by Rapt that documents some of the process.