I was fond of art at an early age. When I was 4 years old my mom drew a cartoon character on paper. I nearly passed out from the excitement when she drew it. I remember my grandmother and I would take the bus to the Downtown fashion. I would sit next to the windows and noticed huge murals around the neighborhoods. When I would go to Sunday mass, the local church had a mural that I would look at when I became bored with the priest. This fondness grew into an obsession when I entered middle school. I had experienced a resounding sub-culture that would impact me for the greater part of my life, graffiti. To my family it seemed like a distraction because it got me suspended from school. I didn’t know what I was doing myself so it wasn’t like I could tell them, “Hey it’s okay. I’m going to draw for the rest of my life.”

My relationship with graffiti was a fragile one. At times it seemed more like a passing fad than a communication tool. During the early years my parents didn’t see art as a viable artery in society. I had to do something about this urge before it passed me by. After high school, I made a solo move to Oregon to study art at the community and University levels. The change in my living conditions was a catalyst for me to be proactive in my art (too much rice and peanut butter will do that to you). This helped me develop strong bonds with friends who challenged me to grow. With the help of professors and colleagues I began communicating my art to the community.

I do not paint to be somebody greater than myself. I’m a son, brother, lover and friend first. The real work resides in the relationships I have with people. My paintings are bi-products and extensions of myself. I utilize my art as a vehicle for telling stories. What I learned from them is the substance of my work. When you enter the vehicle, where I take you is the storyline. This is my formula for communication: story, substance then style. My feeling to communicate has catapulted me into the age old story of transformation. My objective is to ease the fear of the unknown and to document the ether that binds our souls.

-Steven Lopez