April 2023 Unicorn Of The Month: Gabriel Lopez
I try to walk through life with the belief that everyone I encounter will be kind, compassionate, and generous. There are however moments when you just KNOW the person who just entered your life is the real deal, a giving soul, a genuine human being. Gabriel Lopez is that person. I have only known Gabriel a few months, but it seems like I have known him for decades. In addition to being a well respected artist and accomplished craftsman, he is the host of Have A Dope Day Podcast, which if you don't know about it yet, you need to.
2. How long have you been practicing art professionally, when did you consider yourself a real artist?
I have been an "artist" (writer) for the last 20 years of my life. Only within the last two years have I felt comfortable calling myself an artist and what I do art. It took me a while to figure out what "kind" of artist I was going to be.
3. Did you go to art school? Tell me about your training, formal and informal.
I graduated with a degree from the street with a major in the illegal execution of graffiti and rocking spots. This was a formal course that had many mentors and few field trips to county to test my commitment to the craft and lifestyle.
4. What is the medium(s) that you prefer to work in and tell why?
Most of my graffiti was executed with spray paint from different manufacturers: Krylon, Rust-Oleum, Spanish Montana, German Montana, and many cheap, hardware store brands. Every manufacturer is different. Each piece requires a different process to achieve the highest quality of film build and clean line work.
Line work is the final part of the piece. I also use these tools because they are easy to conceal and transport. And back in the day, they were easy to steal in large quantities from many different places in a day.
5. Who are some of your art inspirations? What are some of your non-art inspirations?
Sacramento and California both have a rich history of graffiti. My favorite part is the story of the writers as individuals and the time frame, they came up in, particularly the tools and street tactics that they used during their run in the streets. I love this because to me graffiti is the last truly honest form of expression. I say that because the people painting it can say and do whatever they want without any explanation. No path to making money from their work, just a 100% based on how they feel at that time. No artist talk or artist statement.
My inspirations outside of art are based on the subcultures I genuinely love, like street wear, hip-hop, car culture and now because of the podcast I own, I am interested in media.
6. When do you know when a work is finished?
To me, my work is usually based on the pressures of time. I have a full-time job as an automotive painter, I'm a father of two, and head of household financially so my artwork is painted in stages. Most of the time I am up against a deadline of some sort. That plays a major part in determining when it's "done”. I honestly, I don’t view a piece as done or not done. Each work is built on the back of the progress I made in the last piece. It's a "refined" version of the last piece. It won't be done until I'm dead.
7. Tell me about your process when working. Do you listen to music or do any rituals to get yourself ready to make art?
My process now that I'm off the streets is extremely complicated and complex rooted in math and based largely on where the planet is physically in the universe in relationship to the sun, the moon and the ocean currents...Dude im totally making that up to sound way more artsy than I am!
I just put music on and react to it with paint. My only ritual is to let my time with the music and the paint teach me something. I'm literally just along for the ride. I have no expectations aside from being excited. If I'm not excited during the process I change the process.
8. What are the meanings and the concepts behind this particular body of work?
The meaning and the purpose of my work is to stay sober. It's truly therapy for me. Music and the paint are my councilor and support system. They don't judge me. What we talk and think about during the painting process, no matter how horrible, dirty, mean, kind, or positive the thoughts or ideas are doesn’t matter. It’s a safe space to vent. Plus, I get paid for it so that just makes it extra dope.
The concept behind my body of work is to just keep learning about me. That sounds wild but it's true.
9.What do you want viewers would take away from your work?
I want viewers to take with them the energy I put into the piece. I have this theory that art as we know it isn't about canvas and paints or whatever the medium is. Art is the result of the energy that exists on a different scale. Like the wind and gravity, you only see the results of these things and yet no one knows what they look like. The piece is just the closest thing “real” we can see and touch in this reality.
10.What are your biggest goals as a visual artist? And what has been your proudest moment professionally?
At this point I don't have goals that I want to meet, I'm literally just along for the ride. I know opportunity/money when I see it and I stay prepared to meet those things as they come. I'm in a good position in life where I don't NEED to make money from my art. I need art to live so I just keep living and telling clients "Yes, I can definitely do that” or “What's your budget?”
My proudest moments keep happening, so I will have to get back to you in a few years on that one.
To learn more about his work, check out his Instagram.
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