San Bernardino Enterprise Building by Sr. Toony in Los Angeles

I am a Mexican-American artist currently living in Los Ángeles, CA. I dedicated 15 years of my life to an acting career where I worked in many international series and movies. However, a strong need to express myself in a more personal manner took me into the fascinating world of painting. Through painting I discovered an unexplored world unknown to me until then. I was able to materialise ideas, emotions and thoughts onto a canvas, while in the acting world, I was depending on other people’s ways of expressions and ideas (other actors, writers, directors, etc.). Thus, I found that both activities complement each other perfectly; I have the team work with the acting, and the individual expression in the painting. About my Art I believe that Art reaches the hearts and souls of people in a more direct way than any other activity, therefore art is a responsibility. I like to think that art is one of the most powerful weapons making this world a better place. Through “Toonymania”, the painting style that I created, my intention is for people to connect to their most positive emotions from the very first moment they’re exposed to my art, being able to disconnect from the real world and entering into a completely novel one. This journey begins as they discover what I denote as my “creatures”, all of which form and develop a bigger, deeper and more complex but enlightening piece of art. Each and every one of my so-called creatures are actually cartoons fixed as puzzle pieces, but as in real life, each piece has its own particular meaning; nothing is “the same”. Each piece is unique and is an essential part of the whole. My artwork has a singularity, something that literally makes it “one of a kind”. Every single time you stand in front of one of my paintings, you will not only feel as if it’s the first time you’re seeing it, you’ll actually discover elements that you didn’t even know were there. My goal My art is not exclusively for children, although they too can appreciate it. My objective is to accompany the spectator as he/she reconnects to their inner child, before their true essence was altered by the diverse concepts that this world teaches us from a very early age. Human beings have a tendency to see only what is evident and too frequently lose out on observing the details, that which gives true meaning to what we have in front of us. This is what I aspire to discover in my art. Art is, the way I see it, ageless and timeless,and can appeal to a diverse audience. My hope is that the message I try to convey through my art be understood by everyone: a simple message of love, happiness, respect for nature, for ourselves and for others. My desire is for the spectator’s imagination to run free while reflecting and feeling there’s always more to life than the evident. My acting has been a great tool in helping me promote my art and my social media has given me access to more than a million people that can enjoy my art. I would love to continue expressing myself through my art and, if I am also able to make someone smile in the process, I can then say that I have achieved my mission.