by Anne Aaker
Andy Villanueva is one of ten artists contributing to CSArt this year. He is a Mexican-American artist who, in his words, “has lost touch with certain aspects of my heritage through assimilation.” Villanueva explores Mexican imagery oriented between pre-Columbian and Colonial occupation through a nuanced contemporary lens (that often refers back to a mix of horror and science fiction).
CSArt shares are available for purchase here. CSArt is an excellent way to build your art collection and support local artists. Each share includes 10 handmade pieces by participating artists.
ALL Review: How would you describe what you do?
Andy Villanueva: I try my best to make work that I think best represents what’s going on in my head. I would say I’m more confident in the realm of drawing and, to a degree, printmaking.
ALL: When did your interest in art and drawing start to take shape?
AV: Drawing has been a significant part of my life since early on. My dad would give me lessons and things like that when I was younger (and more receptive), because he’s always been pretty good at the art thing, but he never pursued it professionally. I always wanted to end up doing tattoos, but I guess I kinda switched lanes going into college. That's not to say I'm not interested in pursuing a career in tattooing anymore, but it's become one of those things that just keeps getting pushed back further and further.
ALL: Tell us about your creative process—what gets your creativity flowing? Are there certain points of inspiration you turn to?
AV: As far as inspiration is concerned, I would say that media consumption provides constant fuel to the flame. In high school I started watching a lot of skateboarding videos and horror/sci-fi movies. Those and my being something of a metalhead are huge influences on the work I create to this day. However, lately I’ve been looking into historical figures and just history in general for assistance with subject matter, and giving my work some context. I will say that gig posters are what introduced to me to the work of Frank Kozik and subsequently to printmaking, which I entered into by taking a serigraphy class. Otherwise I envision my brain as a machine, processing the raw data of daily life and churning out ideas for artwork.
ALL: What's it been like participating in the ALL CSArt program?
AV: This program has been highly beneficial. It’s given me the means to pursue a research project in my field of study, all while giving me the exposure that a lot of emerging artists don’t always have access to.