Alex Avila, originally from San Antonio, is a self-taught artist who made his start in art five years ago around the time he moved to San Diego. He quickly fell in love with the city’s raw urban landscape, and its juxtaposition to the gritty harshness of the streets and the way in which it cavorted with the utopian illusion of archetypal sunny beaches that cast a semblance of the “tourist’s playground”.

Alex Avila’s art is ironically showcased in the sense that it takes the spectator (the REAL tourist) and shows that the truth, beauty, and pulsating nerve of San Diego lies much deeper beyond the city as being a destination to witness jumping orcas, the zoo, and the beaches.

He draws his inspiration from what he sees while riding the city’s public transit, walking the streets, and cycling through the various neighborhoods. The accoutrements of humanity’s darker sides are revealed using singular and sometimes dual, bold colors against the brushings that build the bones of that humanity: pain, love, loss, monotonous toil, survival, and the grind.

Avila’s subject matter is rich in multi-cultural representations that stream through portraits as well as urban landscapes. His work is also wide-ranging in theme. An example of this is noted in his depiction of women: they are not only sensual, exotic beings, but they are also etherealized as matriarchal strongholds to their communities.

Avila’s creative spectrum extends beyond the canvas to film. This emerging photographer captures the realism and aesthetic wonderment of the streets, and utilizes shadow and natural light to convey his arsenal of emotions.

 

Avila’s work has gained national attention, as he showcased his artistic skills in professional sports through Pony. His exposure was further highlighted when New England Patriot’s head coach Bill Belichick presented wide receiver Randy Moss with a pair of athletic shoes designed by Alex.

 

 

Artist Statement:

As an artist, I strive to capture the underlying beauty of the city and its life in places where most people miss.  I see it on the streets; be it via the egress of some power lines with a pair of dangling sneakers, a man in the bus who is frozen deep in thought, or planted within the familiar stance of a working mother waiting to take the trolley home. I get inspiration from the faces of those who suffer, who dream, and who live in cyclical monotonous. It is my mission to render my viewer into a tourist, and take him/her on a guided passage through my art that depicts beauty in otherwise abstract, and unfamiliar places.

–
Jen Saunders