Juan Carlos Velasquez

Bio:

Juan Carlos Velasquez is a Mexican-American painter pursuing a career in studio arts working in Cerritos, CA. He works primarily with oils and acrylic on canvas. He is interested in utilizing his visual language as a vehicle for exploring figurative imagery dealing with his queer identity. He is currently studying at Cerritos College.

Artist Statement:

Intuition and trust were the fuel to my first works in which the subject matter was the surface of the paintings. I began to transfer that instinctive exploration of surface into painting the figure. These figurative images are inspired by gender identity, humor, traumas, and strength. My figure paintings are often singular and represent meditations on different aspects of my life as a queer man. For this series of paintings, I work everything out on the canvas until they take shape, this allows for anything to come forth and realize it into the work. This process offers trust, opportunity, and exploration to me, all of which are also tied to my experience navigating my life. With these images, I hope to invoke a sense of power through having pride in who I am.