Painting from within the Latin soul
Painting from within the Latin soul
Two years after his last public showing at the 2004 Latin Arts Festival in Bakersfield, the Tejano product and art teacher is back bringing color to life with a new show at the Kern Annex Gallery, located inside the downtown Kern Central Credit Union building through Aug. 25.
“Alberto is known for his use of very lively colors. His art work makes people happy because he uses bright warm colors and happy images,” said Sue Deininger, marketing director with the Arts Council of Kern.
The 53-year-old artist and art teacher at Fruitvale Junior High School describes his journey from Texas to Bakersfield as well as his artistic life as following the American Dream to make a better living.
Herrera currently works hard teaching his students that art is subjective. He also enjoys spending time with his wife, Elizabeth, and four-year-old son, Matisse, while still finding time to create numerous masterpieces.
At his current show, Herrera is displaying 30 pieces.
Herrera first moved to Bakersfield when he was seven.
“My family decided to come to Bakersfield for a better life,” he said.
Herrera’s family followed the harvest to Bakersfield, where they settled and continued working summers in the fields.
“I then decided I wanted to get an education because I didn’t want to continue doing this for the rest of my life,” said Herrera of field work.
Herrera graduated from East Bakersfield High School and later obtained his bachelor’s degree and teaching credential from Cal State Bakersfield.
Herrera took some time away from his masterpieces to talk with MÁS about his work and influences.
Q: When did you get interested in art?
A: “As a child, I loved to just draw. What made it click in for me was when I used to get these panic attacks, I wouldget a crayon or pencil and something to scribble on. Drawing would put me at ease. Pretty soon even after not getting the attacks, I would get a crayon and draw so I wouldn’t get the attacks. That is why I paint fast and don’t do realistic paintings because they take time. I like the way I paint because of its quickness and unrealistic look.”
Q: Tell us about your attacks?
A: “My parents, they took me to the doctor and they told us it was just my imagination. They later said it was arachnophobia, which made sense since every time I would see a spider or insect it would trigger my attacks. Today I can kill a spider but I still get a queasy feeling. Having those attacks shaped my career because it influenced my style today.”
Q: So would you say that art is therapy for you?
A: “A lot of people say that the creative process is therapy for many people, but it is just a way of life for me now. It is in my system. I go to school, I teach art, and I show my students what I went through and show them my paintings and my sketches. They love it, and I find they can relate to someone who just doesn’t teach but comes home and does art too. My students can really relate to me because I am a working artist. It is a necessity for me to do my art. I need to do it because I just don’t feel complete when I don’t do it.”
Q: What is it that you like about teaching?
A: “I tell my kids that art is subjective. Many teachers who are not trained mess so many kids up. I have many students that say they can’t draw because they have been told they can’t.”
Q: What do you paint about?
A: “I paint mostly women. I love women, and I do mostly faces. I do men, too, but the ones that I have done I have sold. I have done thousands of women and maybe 50 paintings of men.”
Q: How would you describe your art?
A: “It is contemporary, not realistic. I say it is “Latino taste.” I have been told I am a fauvist before. (Note: A fauvist is an artist whose style incorporates a form of bold distortion with strong color). I go through changes every year, but mostly I use a lot of color. For a while, I was just splashing the color on the canvas. I like a lot of color and non-realistic images. That is when I was called a fauvist because it is kinda like where the artist just puts blotches of color and is not concerned with being realistic. I went through a fauvist phase and now I am a Latino contemporary artist, and I don’t worry if the colors don’t match.”
Q: What is your favorite piece?
A: “El Vaquero.” It is just about the plight of the bracero. I tried to capture what the bracero went through. One of my recent favorites is “Tres Hermanas” where I use a lot of color even in the background.”
Q: How did you feel when you sold your first painting?
A: “I was ecstatic. The first big painting I sold for $700 at the Kern County Fairgrounds during an equestrian show. Now I have sold some paintings for as much as $3,500. I think one thing Bakersfield needs to realize is that it takes a lot of work and dedication to create art.”
Q: How do you feel about support for art in Bakersfield?
A: “The general public is a little bit way behind. I always have a venue for my paintings, but if you are a new artists, it is kinda hard to get started because new artist give up due to lack of community support.”
Q: What advice would you give new artists, especially when it comes to dealing with rejection?
A: “Well, I will tell you how I dealt with rejection. I would sulk for a bit and then tell myself, ‘You know what? All this adds fuel for the fire.’ I would continue painting because I feel I am an artist and have something to contribute. My suggestion for new artists, is that if you really feel you have something and you can really make something out of it, don’t give up.”
Q: Overall, why is it that you like to paint?
A: “It’s not the money. There is a need for me to do it. I wouldn’t feel complete if I didn’t paint. Next year I want to do a sculpture show. I started doing sculpture and want to work with wire and papier-maché sculptures.”
Q: What other plans do you have for your art?
A: “I have a story that I am working on this summer, and I want to illustrate the book using paintings. Someday I want to have a reception for the book and the paintings will be from each page of the book. The book is about how music started in this world. It’s a really cool children’s book I am going to do in English and Spanish. I believe kids should learn how to speak Spanish. A lot of kids here have last names like Gonzalez and Hernandez, and they don’t speak Spanish. We need to have pride in speaking Spanish. I think this book will instill that in young readers.”
Kern Central Credit Union
2100 H St.
Ends Aug. 25
Hours:
Monday through Tuesday
9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Wednesday 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Friday 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Blog comments
More blog comments ...