Headlands Center for the Arts

Artist Statement

I am an illustrator and comic book author from Southern California, living in Los Angeles. My comics have been commissioned by The Los Angeles Times and The Washington Post; and I have been featured in The New York Times, Hyperallergic, and The Brooklyn Rail. I am a 2024 City of Long Beach Professional Artist Fellow, 2023 Individual Artist Fellow with the California Arts Council and a 2022 MacDowell Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts Fellow. I self-published my comics series CRISIS by myself for five years and sold them at zine fairs and punk shows. In 2021, CRISIS was acquired by Drawn & Quarterly for publication as a full-length graphic novel which I am currently working on.

While at Headlands

I will be completing the last portion of work for my debut graphic novel CRISIS! The novel follows characters Mayra and Dania, two friends and roommates barely making a living in their cold northeastern city, working low wage jobs, and seeking for purpose and direction. The narrative follows their parallel lives, as they deal with real crises while experiencing slice of life dramas from the perspective of queer first-gen Central American women.

During the time at Headlands I will be drawing halftone shading on finished inked artwork. My process is analogue, using pen and ink for illustration, but this last step is done digitally to add depth to the image. I am looking forward to uninterrupted time, to space and quiet to work on this.