Angel Chavez
Born and raised in Guanajuato, Mexico, Angel’s ambition to develop his skills and challenge himself brought him to Texas in 2010. Angel’s passion is translating his creativity and imagination into reality. Each design has a meaning, a purpose, and a passion behind it that shines through each unique product.
When he is not practicing new design techniques, he usually cycles through the Texas hill country or plans his next adventure with family and friends. Whether working or playing, he is always laughing and looking for joy in the current moment.
Hi, my name is Angel Valdez Chavez. I'm original; I was born and raised in a small town in Guanajuato, Mexico.
I remember the first time I had an encounter with art; it was in first grade. We had this project, which was to draw a spring. I asked my sister, the oldest one, to help me with it. I didn't know how to draw a spring. She told me that she wasn't gonna help me; she was gonna do the illustration, and I had to copy the art. She did this beautiful art, and I remember I started trying to copy what she did, and my art was pretty bad. So, I took my sister's art to the class, and I pretended that it was my art. The teacher was very impressed, and everyone was like, oh, that's so good, and all the kids were like, he didn't do it. I was like, yes, I did. The teacher gave me an A-plus grade, and all the kids were just kind of mad, and I understand why, but since that moment, I was like, you know what, I'm gonna prove I can do that.
A lot of my inspiration, I would say, since 2010 has been really just coming up with my ideas; before that, I would see images and then try to recreate them by freehand.
I realized that I could just bring my ideas, a dream I had, or memories. Memories or ideas that I saw while I was reading a book or story, but I didn't have the skillset yet to draw what I saw in my head precisely to paper. I am also inspired by my emotions, my surroundings, and the things I love.
I am really obsessed with old-school painters, honestly. I love Salvador Dali. Surrealism is one of the techniques I enjoy a lot; it makes you think about the meaning of the piece. I also love Carpaccio, an old-school Italian painter.
I've never shown my actual paintings; most people have seen my art through t-shirts or marketing, and a lot of people over the years have told me I need to do an art show. When I was invited to do the show, I felt like this is the moment, you know, to be able to show what I do, what brings me joy.
Don't rush art; do art because you enjoy it. Don't do it because you think you are going to be famous. Do art because you enjoy it. Make sure you follow and feel passion; art is a way to express who you are, and if you have an opportunity to do it, do it. Art has all the time in the world. Have fun with it.