Alfredo’s encouragement to students
“I paint in my studio almost everyday. In the morning, I go for my daily walks to look at Nature. I like to take photographs of animals and plants. The impressions that I collect during my walks inspire me for the creation of my paintings.
I share the studio with my wife Susie. She paints beautiful flowers in smaller canvases and I usually paint large landscapes of Jungles and the Sea. I use oil paints and my working table is very messy, but I can always find the color tube I need. I have done some ink drawings and some clay sculptures, but oil painting on canvas is the medium I use the most. It would be difficult for me to choose a favorite painting. For me my works are like my children, and I love them all equally.
While I paint, I listen to all kinds of music. The music makes me relax and allows me to concentrate on my images. Because I paint with small brushes, some of my paintings take many weeks to complete. Some have taken months.
I sold my first painting when I was twelve years old, to one of my uncles. It made me so happy! The little tubes of paint were so expensive, so when I sold my first painting I bought a bunch of paints and brushes. When I was a kid, I watched Tarzan movies. At that time the movies were black and white, and I wanted to put color in them. That was a big stimulus for me, and it made my imagination work.
I love diversity in Nature. I appreciate the difference in colors on people, animals, and flowers. I love all colors and every one of my paintings has something I like. It is like my children, each one of them has something I like, and although they all are wonderful and different gifts, I love them equally.
My walks in Nature stimulate my mind, and make it easier for me to get ideas for my paintings. My imagination helps me to discover hidden images in nature, and I include them on my canvases. Those little ghosts frequently get enhanced as I paint, and they appear and disappear on my paintings.
When my father was ninety-some years old, every time I visited him in Mexico he would say: "Son, I will probably not see you again, so give me a goodbye hug." Three months later, he would call me on the telephone and ask me, "When are you coming for a visit?" He lived to be 103 years old, so I saw him at least 3 times a year until his death.
Art has always been in my life. When I was a small child, my mother, Maria, used to make me beautiful little drawings. When she found out that I was trading her drawings for candy, she told me that she would not make any more drawings for me to trade, that I had to learn to draw my own. As a young student in Mexico, I had no favorite artists. I was mostly impressed by the folk art in the Mexican markets. My grandma used to take me to the markets where I was fascinated by the native crafts. The designs and patterns on blankets, baskets, pottery, jewelry, and toys were my inspiration.
Later on, I learned about the Mexican muralists that painted beautiful images on the walls of public buildings. Diego Rivera, Orozco, Tamayo, and others. Being born in Mexico has made my life richer, I feel fortunate to be able to speak the beautiful Spanish language, and I feel I came to the USA with a wonderful culture. Although I have suffered discrimination in this country, I have surrounded myself with thousands of wonderful people that love me and respect me. Not because of my origins but for the contributions that I am making to the culture of this country.
I am grateful to all the students for studying my paintings and for their interest in my work. Even if you do not become an artist in your future, you will be able to appreciate the arts and how good they are for your soul. I am also grateful to the teachers for introducing my art to their students, and for broadening their horizon.”
