We recently connected with Aydee Lopez Martinez and have shared our conversation below.

Aydee Lopez, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. I’m sure there have been days where the challenges of being an artist or creative force you to think about what it would be like to just have a regular job. When’s the last time you felt that way? Did you have any insights from the experience?

I worked in regular jobs before and during the time I was in college so I know what it is like to feel like there is something missing from my job. I remember constantly daydreaming about art and knowing that my happiness and well-being was predicated on whether I was able to do something creative after I left my job for the day. Thankfully, today I am a working artist and I get to create, show and sell my work. I also teach mosaic and ceramic art and feel so fulfilled. I am the happiest I have ever been in a job.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I have been an artist my entire life. Growing up I was always drawing and coloring or carving a piece of wood I found lying around. I would keep a notebook of all my drawings which were mostly copies of other artists’ works and I was very protective and proud of my reproductions. By the time I was in high school, I knew I wanted to work in something related to art but not knowing any working artists and not having a clear direction of how I could apply my skills to a job eventually made me doubt myself. It wasn’t until I had been working for several years doing basic clerical work that I realized I needed to take steps towards my goals. I enrolled in a community college and got direction from counselors on how to obtain a degree in fine art. It took many years, but I finally received my Bachelor’s degree in Fine Art from California State University, Los Angeles in 1999.

Eventually, I opened my art studio in Covina, California where I produce original paintings, ceramic pottery, sculptures and mosaic art. I periodically host open studio events where people can come to see and purchase new works I have created. I show my work through exhibitions and through my website; aydeeart.com. I also do commissioned work for clients, including illustrations for children’s books and book covers.

And finally, after two long years of Covid, I am also back to teaching mosaic and ceramic art to Seniors through the Altamed PACE program. Teaching older adults is so rewarding because I often hear their stories about my classes being their first exposure to making art and how much they love it; how it helps them relax and brings them joy and comfort. It is inconceivable to me that one can be 70 or 80 plus years old and yet have never been exposed to art, so I try very hard to make it up to them by giving them an awesome experience creating beautiful pieces they are proud of. I even get the joy of hearing when their children and grandchildren bicker about who inherits their beautiful creations. It is pure joy!

I consider myself so blessed to be able to create art every day. What I am most proud of is being able to apply my skills to so many different mediums. There is just never a dull day because I am constantly being challenged to create new and exciting works. And when teaching, it means that I also get to gift the knowledge of artmaking to the many students I come across.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I think my journey of resilience begins with the actions of my brave and determined mother who sacrificed so much just to give her children the best possible chances at a better life. She was born in Deming, New Mexico in 1939 but her family emigrated back to Teocaltiche, Jalisco Mexico when she was only four years old. At 22 she married and by the time she was 28 she was the mother of four children, including me. She and my father opened a small ice cream business in the state of Veracruz but within 5 years the tiny business had failed. With nothing to show for their work and more destitute than ever, they returned to Jalisco to live with family. My father tried coming to the U.S. to work the fields, following the harvest seasons but it just wasn’t enough, and he returned to Mexico. He told my mother that the only way to a better life was by her returning to her birthplace alone so that the entire family could emigrate to the U.S. My mother was devastated but she knew he was right. She hoped that within six months, she would be able to come back for us. Instead, she didn’t see her children again until two years later. The paperwork took that long to process. I was two and a half years old when she left. My little sister was only 10 months old. My mother cried almost daily from the pain of being away from us. When we finally did see her again, we did not remember her. The family settled in Cypress Park, a small area of Northeast L.A. Life was hard in the U.S. too, sometimes both of my parents had to work to make ends meet and we became latch-key kids, often taking care of ourselves.

My parents couldn’t afford to send me or any of my siblings to college but they taught us by example how to make things possible; how to persevere. My mother always said we should study and take care of ourselves, and that advice was my driving force when I found myself in a dead-end job that I hated and bored me to tears. I knew it would be a difficult journey to go back to school while I worked full-time, but I also knew that it could be done. I knew from hearing about my mother’s courageous journey and her resilience that I could also give myself a better future. It took me 12 years to get my degree, taking two and three courses per semester and sometimes in tears because it was so hard, and it took so long. But it was sure worth it, some things just are.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

Undoubtedly being able to use a vision, an idea or an emotion to create an artwork and then to see how it becomes a tool to communicate and/or connect with others. When someone has a strong emotional connection to one of my pieces, it makes me feel so much joy and also to realize how interconnected we are in our humanity.

Art is a powerful thing; it can open the floodgates to so many thought-provoking ideas and conversations. We need more of it.

Contact Info:

• Website: Aydeeart.com
• Instagram: aydeeart
• Facebook: Aydee Art