Profiles: José de Jesús Hernández

José de Jesús Hernández, Mariposa Folklorica (detail), 2017, terrazzo tile, image size: 42 x 42 in., credit: © José de Jesús Hernández, courtesy of the artist

José de Jesús Hernández (b. 1992) is a recent graduate from the University of Nebraska Omaha [UNO] earning his Bachelor of Arts in Studio Arts in 2017. Fascinated with the graphic qualities of Art Nouveau, the severity of Minimalism, and the aesthetics of 20^th century poster design, he pursued his degree with a graphic design concentration. I interviewed Hernández recently and asked him questions about his cultural background and his artmaking philosophy.

Born in Anaheim, California to immigrant parents from Mexico, Hernández grew up in a Hispanic household. Soon after his birth, his family moved to Omaha, Nebraska, settling in the western neighborhood of Millard. Anaheim and Millard could not be any more different. Anaheim, being near the Mexico-United States border, has a significant Hispanic population. Millard, on the other hand, epitomizes white suburbia.

Like many children of first-generation immigrants, Hernández recalls not feeling welcome anywhere he went. In Hispanic communities, this condition is colloquially referred to as “ni de aquí, ni de allá,” or, “neither from here, nor from there.” Hernández says, “every place I have ever been to has told me I have an accent… I’m too white or brown… [I’m] too many things.”

José de Jesús Hernández, Frida's Senses, 2015, digital collage, credit: © José de Jesús Hernández, courtesy of the artist

This emotional baggage comes out in his work. Hernández states “there is not one piece that doesn’t show my history, my beliefs, or myself in it.” An excellent example of this is his senior thesis. In it, he commemorates his father’s livelihood. For over two decades, his father has worked for a company specializing in terrazzo tiling named DeMarco Bros., Co. Hernández produced a large terrazzo tile depicting a woman dancing while wearing a monarch butterfly-patterned dress. Referring to Hernández’s cultural background, the butterfly symbolizes migration. Monarch butterflies traverse borders without a care, freely passing through Canada, the United States, and Mexico. Butterflies, in this sense, are free because they are not restrained by geopolitical conflicts.

His decision to major in studio art did not go without familial criticism. Even though his parents are creatives (his father often draws architectural studies and his mother sketches childhood toys), they were hesitant when Hernández chose to major in studio art. This was not a misguided judgement since art degrees don’t often secure financial stability. They encouraged him to choose a more pragmatic major instead. But Hernández, so unwavering, pursued his BA.  

Currently, Hernández has an ongoing project in which he photographs every bathroom he has ever been in. This study of human hygiene can be found on the Instagram account @thedeanofthelatrine. Besides this photographic series, Hernández has submitted his senior thesis to Arte LatinX, a juried biennial art exhibition organized by UNO’s Office of Latino/Latin American Studies. This year, the show will be hosted at El Museo Latino from September 12^th to October 12^th.

Interestingly, José de Jesús Hernández is not fixed on being a graphic designer for the rest of his life. In fact, he dreams of being a social anthropologist. He is interested in discovering how other humans have lived and survived. Ultimately, he wants “for others to learn, to question, and to come closer to the truth” with his art.

José de Jesús Hernández, credit: © José de Jesús Hernández, courtesy of the artist

José de Jesús Hernández currently lives in Omaha, Nebraska.

His Instagram handle is: @elfuntasma.

Interviews: Karmen Valadez

Karmen Valadez, I.ncarcerates C.hildren E.nthusiastically, 2018, oil on canvas, image size: 28 x 20 in., credit: © Karmen Valadez, courtesy of the artist

Karmen Valadez (b. 1994) is an artist originally from Wayne, Nebraska. In her childhood, she was exposed to artmaking and frequently visited the Joslyn Art Museum. Valadez enrolled at the University of Nebraska Omaha and graduated with two degrees: A degree in General Studies (2016) and a BFA (2018). Heavily borrowing from Pop Art, she portrays political subject matter while criticizing toxic masculinity, racism, xenophobia, and other societal issues. 

I sat down with her at Hardy Coffee Co. on Jones Street and asked her about her upbringing and her work. The following transcript has been edited for clarity and length.

Jonathan Orozco: What’s your family and cultural background?

Karmen Valadez: My dad immigrated from Mexico and met my mom in Wakefield, which is super close to Wayne. And then they got married. And my mom, her family is from Germany; Irish. But yeah, my dad is Mexican. His dad is Hispanic, but from Spain. And then his mom is native.

JO: When did you first realize you were interested in making art?

KV: My mom actually started [to] go to school for art when she… but then she coincidentally got pregnant with me in college. So she stopped going to college. I had always drawn with her growing up. I didn’t really get into it until high school actually. I had a really awesome art teacher who recognized my talent and pushed me to do more with it.

Karmen Valadez, Impeach the Peach (detail), 2018, oil on canvas, image size: 16 x 16 in., credit: © Karmen Valadez, courtesy of the artist

JO: Can you tell me about your time at the University of Nebraska Omaha?

KV: I got the Goodrich Scholarship for my first four years of college. I started as an art education major and then I don’t know what really happened. I switched my major to General Studies with a focus in art, sociology, and Spanish. After that, I did the BFA for an extra three semesters.

JO: What year did you graduate?

KV: I graduated with my General Studies degree in May 2016, and then my BFA in December 2018.

JO: In your childhood, did you visit museums and galleries often?

KV: Yeah. We used to go to the Joslyn all the time. My grandma actually worked there a long time ago. I hung out with her a lot. She got to meet Dale Chihuly. 

JO: From your childhood until college, was there any significant event that shaped who you are and what your work is about?

KV: When did it get political is what you mean?

JO: Yeah. I was just going to ask about your BFA, and of course Donald Trump and the way you represent him.

KV: When I started really getting into art in high school, I was focusing on how women are represented, and sort of… what’s the best way to put this? I was sharing my story as a woman… I was still a teenager, so a young girl, who had been assaulted, and how they were conveyed in society and stuff like that, just what I was hearing as a young woman and having shared my story and hearing other women share their story as well, and how they were treated. 

Karmen Valadez, Untitled Doll #1 (detail), 2010, acrylic on canvas, image size: 12 x 16 in., credit: © Karmen Valadez, courtesy of the artist

A lot of my art started that way. It was rag dolls with button eyes in these compromising situations like on a street corner and stuff like that. So that’s sort of where… I wouldn’t call that so much political, but it came off a little bit as political.

JO: How about your senior thesis? How did you start to develop ideas? How did that project come about?

KV: The first piece I made about Donald Trump was in advanced painting with Barb Simcoe, and it was a collage piece where you’re supposed to take an image and then some sort of material you would collage with and put them together. I made Donald Trump with a speech bubble and I collaged Mein Kampf; Hitler’s book. I collaged that in the speech bubble and then added his quotes in there too. And she went crazy over it. She thought it was so cool. That was the first piece I made. That was while he was campaigning to get the Republican seat.

JO: The one where you paint him with the ICE gear is still relevant.

KV: Relevant! Absolutely! I did a lot of pieces about his cabinet as well. Right before I started [my] BFA, I was doing a piece with Trump and all the original people. It was Ben Carson, Betsy DeVos, Sean Spicer, which, he was fun to make fun of! 

Karmen Valadez, Agent Orange, 2018, oil on canvas, image size: 28 x 20 in., credit: © Karmen Valadez, courtesy of the artist

JO: Was this just your thesis, or are you still doing this kind of work? Do you think you’re going to continue to do this since we still have this current administration?

KV: I have done a few pieces. I took a workshop with Amy Haney, just out of her studio and did a piece about him. And I still doodle stuff all the time. After my thesis was over, I stopped watching 24-hour news and sort of separated myself from it because it was really exhausting to keep up with it so much. I loved painting it, but there was a point where it was like: “Bah! [laughs] What the hell is going on!”

I’ll probably always make political art. I think I’m most passionate about political art, so I don’t see me straying from that in any way.

JO: Do you have any upcoming projects?

KV: I have a series of political sketches that I made a while ago with the intention to print them with Amy. I had a lot of family stuff happen over the beginning of the summer, so I haven’t caught up with Amy to continue to do that. But anyway, they’re based off of early horror movie posters with political subject matter in them.

JO: Do you have graduate school in the picture?

KV: I do want to eventually. That was something I contemplated starting right away or waiting for a while, and I think I am going to wait a while just because I want to get a larger portfolio. Even though I am really proud of the work I did for my thesis, I still think I can grow from that before I get into graduate school.

JO: Do you plan on staying in Omaha or have you just not thought about that yet?

KV: I don’t know. I’ve always been in Omaha and I really like Omaha. I think, especially lately, the art community is thriving, but who knows. I would go to other places if opportunities lent themselves that way. 

JO: I’ll leave it at that. Is there anything else you want the readers to know?

KV: I still have shirts and buttons and stuff from my thesis, so if anyone’s interested, hit up my Instagram!

Karmen Valadez, credit: © Karmen Valadez courtesy of the artist

Karmen Valadez currently lives in Omaha, Nebraska.

Her Instagram handle is: @karmenvaladezart.

Profiles: Tom White

Tom White, What is Seldom is Wonderful, 2018, pen and ink and Faber-Castell markers on Bristol Paper, image size: 20 x 30 in., credit: © Tom White, courtesy of the artist

I recently interviewed Tom White (b. 1997) and asked him about his childhood and development as an artist. He was born in Omaha, Nebraska and expressed an interest in art early in his life. Early on, his father communicated his interest in architecture to him, teaching White how to have an eye for design. One of his early childhood memories is his father bringing home stacks of printer paper that he and his sister would draw on for hours. White has maintained this interest in drawing throughout his life.

At 13, White discovered his love for pen and ink drawing after his father gifted him a set of Micron pens to toy around with. Later, his father gave him the book “Pen & Ink Techniques” by Frank Lohan. White has cherished and studied the book religiously. Since then, pen and ink has been his preferred medium because of its technical precision and permanence. There is no room for error when White draws.

In high school, White took classes with a teacher named Jeremy Caniglia. He finds inspiration in Caniglia’s artmaking because of his dedication to painting and his study of Old Master painting techniques. White says Caniglia has been an influence on him, and that Caniglia remains very supportive of his artistic endeavors. 

Tom White, Acia Radko, 2019, pen and ink and Faber-Castell markers on Bristol paper, image size: 9 x 11 in., credit: © Tom White, courtesy of the artist

As a junior in high school, White joined the Kent Bellows Mentoring Program. The program is offered by the Joslyn Art Museum and aims to support the creativity of high school students and to help them develop into professional artists. While at the program, he discovered and experimented with various artistic mediums and formed relationships with other students who were serious about art. Many of the people he met in the program are still his mentors and friends. White also met a student named Erin Paulson who eventually became his partner. Both continue to support one another in their artmaking.

After graduating from Creighton Preparatory School in 2016, White enrolled at the University of Nebraska Omaha (UNO) where he is currently working towards earning a BFA with a concentration in drawing. White is expected to graduate in May 2020.

The Art and Art History department at UNO has been very influential and supportive of White. Professors that have been significant to White include David Helm (professor of sculpture), Amy Haney (professor of printmaking), Luke Severson (professor of ceramics), and Barb Simcoe (professor of painting). Of all these professors, he works more closely with Simcoe. He says “she never fails to give me great advice and feedback on my work.”

Tom White, Yoke-O (oh NO!), 2018, pen and ink on Bristol paper, image size: 9 x 11 in., credit: © Tom White, courtesy of the artist

White applied to an unpaid artist-in-residence internship at the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts in the spring of 2019. After the Bemis accepted his application, White was assigned to the artist Jes Fan. Born in Canada and raised in Hong Kong, Fan’s artwork is about the intersection of biology with race and gender. Now based in Brooklyn, Fan has been mostly working with ceramics, glass and rubber. Recently, Fan has created silicone-filled vessels injected with biological substances like testosterone, estrogen, melanin, and fat. 

During his internship, White assisted Fan by helping the artist cast molds, building ceramic sculptures, and blowing glass. His individual assignments included wet sanding and polishing ceramics as well as doing anything else Fan asked him to do.

In his own work, White interprets reality through Surrealist illustration. His drawing method is spontaneous and free-form with no fixed plan. Although his drawings are usually realistic depictions of humans and animals, he enhances their silhouettes with graphic and decorative patterning, tinting them with subdued neon colors. And while he does favor realistic subject matter, he does occasionally descend into total abstraction. These abstract drawings are just as precise as his drawings of real subject matter and also have the same color and pattern treatment.

Recently, White participated in the show “LOOSE JUICE,” a pop-up show organized by Benson First Friday, at the Maple St. Construct gallery. White was one of three artists exhibited and had four pieces in the show. The show opened on May 21^st, 2019 and closed a few days later.

Tom White, Drama in Antiquity, 2019, pen and ink on Bristol paper, image size: 9 x 11 in., credit: © Tom White, courtesy of the artist

Currently, White has work in the 2019 Nebraska Artist Biennial at Gallery 1516. This juried exhibition is open to all artists who have a connection to Nebraska. White’s submission is a pen and ink drawing titled “Drama in Antiquity.” The drawing’s composition is heavier towards the left side and has a strong diagonal that starts at the top left and bounces to the bottom right. Some figures are posed dramatically and interact with one another. Others are totally disconnected like the figure on the bottom right. White’s distinctive patterning is present at the top right, and curiously, is the only colored area in the composition. 

White is working on his upcoming BFA thesis right now. He is currently making artwork that will be embedded into antique televisions. Once installed, the work will be illuminated by a lighting system within the televisions.

Tom White has one more year of study before he graduates with his BFA. Once he completes his degree, he plans on moving to Chicago. He is also considering attending graduate school. White aspires to create the best artwork he can make and hopes to come to a point where he does not compare his work to other artist's artwork. He wants his studio practice to be his main source of income while additionally maintaining a teaching position.

Tom White, credit: © Tom White, courtesy of the artist

Tom White currently resides in Omaha, Nebraska.

His Instagram handle is: @sp33d_of_white.

Profiles: Erin Paulson

Erin Paulson, Endless Hours not on the Pavement, 2018, fabric, bike, and skin, credit: © Erin Paulson, courtesy of the artist

Artist Erin Paulson (b. 1998) spoke to me about her life and aspirations. Born in Omaha, Nebraska, Paulson knew she had an affinity for art as long as she could remember and was fortunate to have parents that exposed her to other cultural activities. Both parents are creatives. Her father is a violinist, and her mother, a sewing fanatic. She recalls watching her mother sew her costumes for her dance recitals, citing her dedication at the sewing machine as an influence for her current performance work.

At the age of 11, Paulson began playing with art, drawing portraits of different girls she yearned to be. She continued to nurture her craft throughout high school, often drawing alone for hours and spending her lunch period in an art classroom. Reassured by her teachers, Paulson continued to hone her draftsmanship skills.

Paulson joined the Kent Bellows Mentoring Program in 2015 as a junior in high school. Offered by the Joslyn Art Museum, the program supports the creativity of its students, and educates them on becoming professional artists. It is a memorial to Kent Bellows, a hyperrealist from Blair, Nebraska, who, along with the artists Ed Ruscha, Sheila Hicks, and Therman Statom, define Nebraska’s visual culture.

Erin Paulson, Dancing when no one can See Her Face, 2019, woodcut and screenprint on bed sheet, credit: © Erin Paulson, courtesy of the artist

There she felt a sense of relief from family life and adolescent troubles. Paulson says “[The program] encouraged me to process the things I was going through with art. I was given [a] space to create and feel safe. There were… adults in the program that really guided me through the issues I was dealing with.” The program allowed Erin to create a circle of students who were as serious about art as she was. One student in the program named Tom White eventually became her partner. Paulson and White, while distinct in their artistic practice, inspire one another to create the best artwork they can make.

Both Paulson and White are enrolled at the University of Nebraska Omaha (UNO). There, Paulson is working towards earning a BFA with a focus in sculpture and in printmaking. A double focus has never been attempted at UNO, so Paulson and the art department are constructing the curriculum as she progresses through the program. Paulson will graduate in the fall of 2020.

UNO’s Art and Art History department has been supportive of Paulson. She points out David Helm, a professor of sculpture, as the most influential instructor in her artistic career. Paulson remarked that her conversations with Helm helped her transition to performance and process art. And while her recent work has been primarily focused on performance, she does not do performance exclusively. Paulson still draws, paints, dances, and sews depending on what she wants to create.

Erin Paulson, Distant Calls from an Open Wound (Big Hands), 2019, oil and charcoal on fabric, credit: © Erin Paulson, courtesy of the artist

Her performance work is choreographed like a ballet recital with specially designed costumes. After choosing a location and loosely determining what will occur, Paulson prepares her outfits by drafting plans and cutting fabric, later stitching it all together to create her masks and dresses. These ensembles are very simple since Paulson prefers clothes that hardly cover the body. The body and its exposed skin, she explains, is a material in itself. “It shouldn’t be covered by fabric. As a material it’s honest.” To Paulson, once the skin is covered, it loses its authenticity.

In the fall of 2017, Paulson applied to an unpaid artist-in-residence internship offered by the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts. She received a rejection notification through email early on but was contacted months later. Artist-in-residence Christy Chan needed help organizing lunches for strangers as a social art project, and Paulson was chosen to facilitate them. Even though Paulson felt socially and conceptually uncomfortable with Chan’s vision, she now looks back and appreciates being forced to experience it.

Chan titled this six-month project “Everybody Eats Lunch.” It is currently being presented in a group show called “Print Public” at the Kala Art Institute in Berkley, California. The show features new work by 2018-2019 Print Public Residency artists at Kala. The show runs from May 30 to July 13, 2019. Paulson attended the opening reception.

Erin Paulson, Gale on an Evening in Spring, 2019, costume worn by Tom White, fabric, paint, and skin, credit: © Erin Paulson, courtesy of the artist

While still in California, Paulson had a chance to explore its famous redwoods. Unlike visiting a museum or gallery, hiking through nature restores her spiritual health, giving her the chance to think and to roam free. She described her hike though Oakland’s Redwood Regional Park in our conversation: “There was an especially beautiful moment where I was walking through the redwoods. In one step, I’d be in the cool of the trees. The next step, in the warmth of the sun. There was the smell of roasting pine everywhere. I’ve never been so inspired. I want to create environments so authentic that it gives people these feelings, which is why I like my performances to take place outside.”

Currently, Paulson has work in Gallery 1516’s 2019 Nebraska Artist Biennial, a juried exhibition open to all artists who have a connection to Nebraska. Gallery 1516 is dedicated to the celebration of Nebraska art and artists by providing a venue for the exhibition of works made by Nebraska and regional artists. Paulson’s work is an image still from a short film called “Pink is a Mother’s Hug.” In front of the framed image still is the mask she wore during her performance on a bust. 

Erin Paulson, Pink is a Mother's Hug, 2019, fabric, skin and paint, video length: 1:12 min, credit: © Erin Paulson, courtesy of the artist

The original video is only 1:12 minutes long and showcases her approach to the body as a medium. In the film, Paulson covered her head with a patchwork mask made of white and pastel blue fabric. She shows a tender and intimate view of her body with frequent close-ups of her bare flesh. Paulson’s soft humming can be heard in the background while the film progresses.

Erin Paulson has not yet decided on what she wants to do when she graduates with her BFA, but she knows she wants to live in a coastal area near a forest. She primarily wants to teach studio and lecture classes and spend the rest of her time making art and dancing. 

Erin Paulson, credit © Christy Chan, Erin Paulson, courtesy of the photographer and Paulson

Erin Paulson currently resides in Omaha, Nebraska.

Her Instagram handle is: @erin_m_paulson.