Just kidding. While maybe not a drama queen, Gabriel Contreras is an artist through and through. He has talent, and certainly doesn't fit one type of mold. You could say I'm biased; we've been friends for awhile now, but his art is unique, eye-catching and most importantly, from the soul. You don't believe me? Well, see for yourself.
He comes over for his interview, and like always, he's energetic, smiling and spilling out hilarious one-liners. His mind moves 150 mph, and I can barely keep up. The first question I ask him may be an obvious one. I ask him, why? Why be an artist?
He responds, "Well, I didn't choose to be an artist. I knew when I was really little, as soon as I started school. I would constantly make things with clay, and had my first easel as a toddler. I would get beer boxes and cans and make Transformer suits out of them. That's when I knew, and when my parents knew. Not many toddlers make beer-can Transformers."
After years of clay molding and Transformer building, Gabriel decided his senior year of high school to attend The Art Institute of Dallas after graduation. Since then, he's transferred to The Art Institute of Austin, choosing Graphic Design as his major. Gabriel's style can be described as Pop Art, Surrealism and Projected Emotion.
He says his influences range from music to video games. "Alex Pardee is my main inspiration. I also listen to 80s Hip-hop when I paint. Oh, and playing old-school video games, like Zelda, reading comic books, really anything Pop Culture and dark humor. I try not to take myself too seriously."
Gabriel's ideal job is creating album art work or t-shirt designs. I ask him what else he wants to accomplish with his art. "My art is for me, but I want everyone to see it," he says. "I want my art to do the same things Alex Pardee's art does for me. He's the one who first inspired me to start painting. I never thought I could make a living as an artist. Now I know that I can. He's overcome a past, and so have I. Maybe someday I'll share that story."
Gabriel touches on his past, and begins to describe one of his pieces. "I was extremely angry! When I get mad, I need to get it out, get it out of my head. My art is like a dream journal."
Whether it is happiness, anger or annoyance, every one of his paintings has a purpose.
"Sometimes there's not a direct meaning behind my art. Sometimes it's just a feeling or emotion."
We look through his portfolio online together. I stop him at one piece that I love.
"Somewhere in my art is me," he says. "My view of my own self image...I like to cram cute and ugly into the same piece."
"Like a
He hurriedly clicks through a few more pieces, prompting me to ask him how he feels when he sees his own art. "I know what I was thinking when I created each piece, but I imagine people must think I'm nuts! There's no upfront theme. I want them to take away their own personal message. An artist is someone whose artwork raises more questions than it answers."
That one line, and I'm sold.
"I just want to inspire people to create," he says.
"Well, get busy," I say jokingly.
"That's what I say! You've got to get busy living or get busy dying," he says. He starts to laugh, "What does that even mean?"
I guess you can take it however you like.
To see more art by Gabriel Contreras.
Love.
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