Alejandro is a local artist whose work is greatly influenced by many things in our beloved Chuco. If we live in a city full of rich and amazing culture, why not use it to our advantage and incorporate it into our work? For Alejandro, our local history, architecture, and our Chicano and pop culture influence his very colorful work.
Alejandro began drawing when he was young, but did not get involved with painting until he was in his 20’s and living in the Dallas Fort Worth area. He explains that the art culture was a lot different and he was exposed to art museums and galleries a lot more regularly. When he finally moved back home, to El Chuco, he began to paint more El Paso themed art because it was something he enjoyed. Alejandro’s work has evolved from when he first started to draw horror movie characters as a kid, to cholo and gang related art as a teenager, and now local surroundings and interests as an adult. He started out with drawing but has moved on the painting murals, signs, and even mixed media projects. He explains that his art will always keep evolving. Overall, his work in heavily influenced by the border and his childhood here. Not only does the city influence his work, but other artists here in the border have also had an impact on his work. If you ask Alejandro what makes our community so special and unique, he is quick to bring up our Old West and Mexican Revolution history. We have a heavy Mexican culture influence which really has an impact on our community and makes it unique. So we should try to appreciate our history and the city’s unique stories by going downtown and looking at our old and historic buildings. Even though Alejandro has been drawing since he was very young, it was only about four years ago when he started to sell and display his work. He never really imagined himself living off of his work, but due to economic issues he decided to give it a try. Since then, he has found it very satisfying to be able share his work with other people in the community and to make art an important part of his life. If you’re interested in seeing his work, make sure you visit Alejandro at Chuco Relic on Sunday October 29th to get to know him and his work a little better. Remember, support local!
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Hello El Paso! Looking for a coffee shop that will satisfy all of your vegan needs? Let me tell you about this little gem in downtown El Paso called Craft, a small, but lovely, completely vegan coffee shop. You can find them at 500 N Oregon Street on the second floor inside One : One.
Rosa Tenorio, one of the geniuses behind this amazing place, was tired of going around to the same places and supporting big chains around town that had options high in sugars and artificial flavors, so she decided to do something about it. She began discussing the idea about a local, healthy coffee place with her partner, and the concept for Craft began to form. The idea is to have an eco-friendly shop, so Craft consists of two bikes with solar panels at the top. You can find one of then on Oregon Street Downtown, and the second one at Lululemon on Mondays. Having always been really interested in healthy organic and raw choices as well as super foods she began to experiment on her own and make her own creations. These creations are the ones that you can find at Craft today, and believe me you will not be disappointed. Some one people's favorites include Pistachio Matcha, which she recommends iced, for which Rosa makes her own Pistachio milk. Another favorite is the pumpkin spice, not made out of any artificial flavorings, Rosa uses real pumpkins, spices, pecan milk, and maple as a sweetener. The drinks with Spirulina are also customer's favorites, and as you enjoy your drink you can enjoy the cool blue color it has! Craft also sells some baked goods, which are completely vegan, and they are just as delicious as their drinks. We highly recommend taking a trip Downtown to the One : One office and getting your caffeine fix in this great local shop, you won't regret it! “We need to go out there, and live our lives.” Marcos Rey, possibly one of El Paso’s biggest supporters, is a painter and photographer from El Chuco who dedicates his time to promoting the city of El Paso. If you haven’t heard of him yet, you might have heard of Last Thursdays Art Walk, one of the many ways he shows his love for our city. If you're as excited to meet him in person as I was, you can go say hi this weekend at Chuco Relic where he is being featured as artist of the month!
Marcos Rey’s work, especially his photography, is highly impacted by the rich history found in El Paso. He finds that the architecture Downtown has really influenced his work, and the many buildings by Henry Trost found in our city really capture his attention. Marcos’ main goal is to educate, both El Paso natives and visitors, about the significance of the architecture that many take for granted. As for his paintings, you can find one of his pieces at the Hal Marcus Gallery, also influenced by the history of El Chuco. When you talk to Marcos about El Paso, you can immediately feel his love for the city. He will be quick to tell you that his favorite thing to do is to explore Downtown and enjoy all the cool new things that are happing there. He mentions how there are so many different things to do, and most of the time we don’t even realize. It’s important for him that everyone finds something that they love, and Marcos can guarantee you that there is always something for everyone. Don’t believe me? Ask him yourself and you will be amazed! Now, you still might be wondering what is Last Thursdays Art Walk? Last Thursdays Art Walk looks to feature different artist in all the different galleries found Downtown evert last Thursday of the month. The goal is to have more people visit Downtown and learn about the abundance of art we have in our city. Each month’s Last Thursdays will be a completely new experience with new artist and events that you do not want to miss! Marcos offers free tours during the Last Thursdays where he will guide you to all the different galleries and events taking place. Of course, people are free to join the tour and later break off to enjoy Last Thursdays however they would like. Believe me, it is definitely worth it to try to make it to as many Last Thursdays as possible. You can look them up on Facebook, Last Thursdays El Paso, and ask about participating either as a vendor or as a participant of the walking tour. What is Marcos’ main passion? To make us all see how amazing our city is and with his help we can all go out there, try something new, and fall in love with our city. You can go follow Marcos Rey on Instagram (marcos__rey) or Facebook at the Last Thursdays El Paso page to learn more about events going on in El Paso! And don't forget to visit Marcos this Sunday, September 17 from 12pm to 2 pm at Chuco Relic at the TI:ME for ART. Space in downtown El Paso is becoming more and more limited each year, not only that but rent near or in downtown are also going up. It’s one of El Paso’s most popular areas full of historic places, San Jacinto Plaza, the Plaza Theater, the art museum, Dream Chasers Club, Barrio Skate shop, general shops, bars, an art space and many other things. It is no wonder why people want to live near downtown. There are so many things to do. However, I want to introduce THE 501 S. Campbell Apartments, which are about a mile away from the downtown area and won’t break your wallet.
Here is what they have to say: “Just built! Brand new upscale apartments in the heart of downtown El Paso! Conveniently located three blocks fro the mirrored county courthouse building, THE 501 has easy access to I-10, Paisano, the Border Highway and the soon-to-come streetcar trolley, Be the very first to live in your unit! All apartments come equipped with brand new washers and dryers, water and trash bill paid, refrigerated air, granite countertops, upscale appliances, garbage disposals, microwaves, dishwashers, refrigerators, faux wood floors, modern 9-foot ceilings, brushed nickel fixtures, energy efficient lighting, convenient trash chutes on every floor, balconies in select units, a shared community space, and more! Within a mile from all downtown attractions and vents, it’s the place to be! Join our community of people with a passion for downtown and its vibrant future. All are welcome to THE 501 GRAND OPENING PARTY on Thursday, August 17, from 5:30-7:30pm, to enjoy great music, good food, a free ice cream bar, free refreshments, door prizes, and more, while seeing what we have to offer!” More info at: https://www.apartments.com/the-501-501-s-campbell-apartments-el-paso-tx/yq5j08s/ Skip, who describes himself as effervescent and highly energetic “spastic trash.” is an El Paso artist who has been filling the border land with his weird vibes for the past 10 years. One conversation with him, or a look at his art, and you will realize how special him and his work are. Skip started doing art for a local “noise spastic electronic musician” called The Shock Deformity and Amputee, a noise artist that Skip recalls would play in his underwear and have very destructive and heavy shows. He was a very big fan at the age of 17, when he was still in high school and he created a flyer, which featured M.I.A. (with her arms and torso as a penis) and The Shock Deformity and Amputee really enjoyed it. Having worked with someone he was a fan off, began to open doors for him and his work. Next, The Dozal Brothers, another local group, enjoyed his flyer so much that they contacted him to do some artwork for them. Ever since then, Skip has been doing artwork in El Paso and making magic happen. When you talk to Skip, you’ll immediate realize that he really is one of a kind. He describes his work as “weird vibes” because of where he gets his inspiration for all his work. He explains that his artwork is based on modern psychedelia, heavy music that is noisy and chaotic, and posters from the 70s that are full of color, splashy, drippy and wet. All of these elements put together are enjoyable to him. Some concepts and ideas come from the people that he works with, for example when he was working with Miijas the idea of aliens partying came up. Skip did that he does best, being true to himself and making these concepts his own. As for long term aspiration, he draws ideas from psychedelic punk rock bands, noise bands, and screen printing. Some ideas that really excite him are colors, splatters, “rainbow waste,” the desert, our mountains, and ditches. Yes, ditches a place that Skip describes as a man-made ecosystem where we find the most unexpected things. For Skip, working with a lot of different bands and being able to share his artwork with so many people from different places around the country, and even the world, is very rewarding. By working alongside his friends and all these cool people his artworks is so much more than just artwork and it can be shared with the world. Not only does Skip work with many different cool artists and other individuals, but he also has published two books with his work. The recently partnered up with Rio Sangre, a print collective, to publish a book with his drawings from Ruidoso, titled Moss. He also has a book where he collaborated with Mike Carrasco called Lenguaje Humano. You can also find his work on his Instagram and his Tumblr page (coelacanthart.tumblr.com) and we highly recommend you follow him, and Rio Sangre! Thank you Skip and you can go follow him on Instagram as: coelacanthart !!!! |