Among his favorite subjects to paint are Lopez’s friends and family. When painting them, Lopez uses oranges and browns to enhance their skin color centering his creations around it as the focal point, rather than hide it.
“Our skin color is a big part of us, and it’s a good part of my community, and that’s kind of what I like to show,” Lopez said.
Lopez later transferred to California State University, Long Beach, where the artist received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Illustration in 2018. When it came time for graduation, Lopez saw a clear path to what was next, and be- ing a famous artist was not on the top of his list. Lopez joined his father’s company saying, “He always wanted his kids to join. That was his dream. So, once I graduated, I ended up going there full time.”
To stay motivated while balancing a full time job, Lopez and his girlfriend love visiting local art galleries, including the Superchief Gallery LA where they showcase psychedelic-inspired abstracts and graphic illustrations. “Just from seeing people’s art and what they’re doing just kind of gets those creative juices flowing,” he stated. “My girlfriend’s really into art as well. She follows a lot of shows, and she kind of pushed me back into painting more.”
Lopez is not the only creative per- son in his tight knit family. His four siblings are heavily involved in the arts as well. “My brother, he’s in graphic de- sign too, and my little brother, Andres, he has his own sketchbook now. My sister does a lot of arts and crafts and is into music. The whole family is creative,” shared Lopez.
While working in construction may seem like a far jump from painting, the artist says his day job feeds his imagination in a similar way to painting. Lopez explained that “it’s another form of creating.” Through working for his father, he is able to build and construct, while also solving problems in innovative ways.
However, he said the best part of working for Wolf Pack is being with his family everyday. Art will always be a love and form of expression for Lopez, but he no longer seeks to make it a career. “That was the goal in the beginning, but now I have a full time job, that’s nice,” Lopez said. “And I get to see my family still. It’s actually a plus for me. We are very tight.”