We recently connected with Christopher Lucero and have shared our conversation below.
Christopher, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s jump back to the first dollar you earned as a creative? What can you share with us about how it happened?
When my college bought 2 original prints of my work and hung it in it’s halls for all to see! I was delighted and felt I wanted to keep earning for my work. Each piece hangs on 2 separate walls of 2 different campus buildings. One in Sugar Grove and the other in Aurora.
Although they weren’t sugar skull portraits they still made me want to pursue portraiture. I can’t really recall when I sold my first sugar skull portrait. It was probably at one of the Alley Art Festivals in Downtown Aurora over 10 years ago! Since then I’ve sold over 30! Maybe more, I’ve lost track.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I take your photo in the style of Dia de los Muertos! That’s the gist of it. All you have to do tell me a bit about yourself and something you want to share with the world. Based off of what you share with me is how your portrait will come out.
I paint your face, drape you in a fabric, scarf, or flag, and then snap your photograph which will one day be in a book with 99 other people. I can also print out the photo on a giant piece of metal for you to enjoy!
Or if you much rather just want a sugar skull portrait for your home, you can look at my previous work and order a portrait of a different sugar skull from my portfolio online. Simple enough, right?
Or if you’d just like to read other perspectives of life through sugar skull art then you can follow me on Facebook or Instagram.
I mean how many other photographers can create a one-of-a-kind CUSTOM sugar skull portrait based on YOU do you really know?
I’m proud of the fact that I’m in this tight niche of art work that is hard to find.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
I especially love it when people buy my art to hang in their homes or stores. It’s like a piece of me will live on after I pass through Art. It states to the world that I was here and this is what I created.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
This whole project as a whole is to one day become a book. I’m a little over half way done but in no complete rush to get it done. The journey of meeting new people and getting to know them has been so much fun! I’m currently at 56 different people interviewed and face painted.
I think maybe I’ll also make a separate book but only self portraits detailing my thoughts, journal entries, and writings.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://calaverasofchicago.bigcartel.com/?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAaZKLbeaDh_j1D9rIKWeUujcAnNPnYVdpp8HhXpFs8O3mkATW_SxOoairVA_aem_oxax4LDIGET4FDj-UoSY0g
- Instagram: LooseArrow
- Facebook: https://Facebook.com/CalaverasOfChicago
