We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jamie Zepeda a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Jamie, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

The first time I knew I wanted to pursue a creative path professionally goes all the way back to my earliest memories. I’ve been drawing for as long as I can remember—before I even understood what a career was or that “being an artist” could be something real people did. As a kid, I was that quiet, observant one who was always sketching on any scrap of paper I could find. It wasn’t a hobby; it was more like a language, something instinctive that I turned to every day.

Growing up, art became the way I made sense of the world around me. I remember realizing, even as a child, that when I drew, the noise of everything else faded out. I felt focused, excited, and completely myself. But the moment it shifted from something I loved to something I wanted to pursue professionally came a bit later—when I started noticing how people reacted to my work. Teachers, family members, even strangers would pause, really look, and connect with something I made. It was the first time I understood that what I created could reach people.

From there, the idea of being an artist stopped feeling like a dream and started feeling like a direction. Every drawing, every school project, every little challenge I set for myself reinforced it. I didn’t have a single dramatic turning point—rather, it was a steady, powerful realization: this is who I am, and this is what I’m meant to do.

That early certainty has stayed with me. It’s the same feeling that guides me now—this pull toward creating, storytelling through imagery, and building a visual world that reflects my culture, my experiences, and the things that have shaped me.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I’m Jamie Zepeda, a visual artist originally from Huntington Park, California, and now based in Las Vegas, Nevada. My artistic practice is deeply rooted in my cultural heritage, with influences that come from both Michoacán, Mexico—where much of my family’s story originates—and the Southwest, where I grew up and continue to build my creative life. These two worlds shaped my identity, and naturally, they shaped my work.

I earned my Bachelor of Fine Arts in Drawing, Painting, and Printmaking from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, which helped me develop a strong technical foundation while also pushing me to explore my own voice. Over time, that voice has evolved into a fusion of Mexican folk art and Western art—a blend that reflects both my lineage and my environment. My subjects often include vaqueros, folklórico dancers, mariachis, Día de los Muertos themes, and other cultural traditions from Mexico that I grew up seeing, hearing, and feeling.

My work lives at the intersection of storytelling and preservation. I love capturing the energy, vibrancy, and emotion of these traditions—not just as symbols, but as lived experiences. I primarily work with acrylic and oil paint, though I also use graphite, charcoal, and digital tools. Mixing mediums lets me build texture, depth, and movement in a way that feels true to the spirit of the culture I’m representing.

Beyond creating artwork, I stay actively involved in the Las Vegas arts community. I’ve participated in public art projects, including Clark County’s ZAP! 13 project, where I created an electric box mural—something I’m especially proud of because it allowed me to bring my work directly into the community. I’ve also led art workshops at spaces across the valley, such as the Winchester Cultural Center, Walnut Recreation Center, Cambridge Recreation Center, and the Clark County Wetlands Park Nature Center. Sharing art with others—especially people who might not always have access to it—is a meaningful part of my practice.

Over the past seven years, I’ve exhibited my work in galleries throughout Las Vegas. A recent milestone I’m incredibly proud of is the City of Las Vegas purchasing six of my artworks for permanent display at the East Las Vegas Community Center. Moments like that remind me that the stories I paint resonate beyond my studio.

This past year has brought another layer of excitement: I was interviewed on Fox 5’s MORE segment for my participation in the “December to Remember” exhibition at the Las Vegas Science and Natural History Museum. I was also featured last year for their Hispanic Heritage exhibition, where I displayed five pieces. These opportunities affirmed just how important it is to share culturally rooted work in public spaces—places where people of all backgrounds can experience and connect with it.

Today, I offer commissions, original artwork, prints and merchandise, workshops, and exhibition work. What sets me apart is not just the blend of styles and influences, but the heart behind it: I create art that celebrates identity, honors tradition, and keeps cultural narratives alive. My goal is to make work that feels familiar and nostalgic to some, eye-opening to others, and meaningful to anyone who encounters it.

If there’s one thing I want people to know about me and my work, it’s that everything I create comes from a place of authenticity. These stories belong to my family, my culture, and my community—and I’m honored to share them through my art.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

A story that really illustrates my resilience isn’t about one big moment—it’s about my own tenacity over the years. There was a long stretch of time when I was creating nonstop, yet it felt like hardly anyone noticed my work. I would paint for hours, fill sketchbooks, experiment with new ideas, and still feel like I was shouting into the void. It was discouraging, and there were times when giving up crossed my mind.

But what kept me going was something that’s just built into who I am: I’m tenacious. Even when the recognition wasn’t there, even when it felt like nothing was moving, I kept showing up to create. For me, consistency is an act of resilience. It’s choosing to keep painting, keep pushing, keep putting in the work—even when results are slow, or invisible, or uncertain.

Over time, that tenacity paid off. Opportunities began to appear, people connected with my work, and doors opened that I once thought were out of reach. But none of that would have happened if I had stopped when things were hard.

So my story of resilience is really this: I never stopped creating. I stayed consistent, I stayed determined, and I trusted that everything comes in its own time. That tenacity has been one of the most important forces shaping my journey as an artist.

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

For me, the most rewarding part of being an artist is the simple joy of creating. There’s something incredibly fulfilling about being fully absorbed in the process—mixing colors, building layers, watching an idea slowly take shape. Even before anyone sees the finished piece, that creative flow is its own kind of reward.

But beyond the process, I value the connections that art creates. Being able to share my work, meet other artists, and know that something I’ve made resonates with someone else—that’s a feeling that never gets old. When someone tells me that a piece reminded them of home, their family, or a part of their culture they’re proud of, it means everything.

One of the biggest rewards, though, is the opportunity to be a role model—especially for young girls in the Hispanic community. Growing up, I didn’t always see women who looked like me or came from similar backgrounds represented in the art world. If my work or my journey can show even one young girl that her voice is important, that her culture is worth celebrating, and that she can take up space in creative fields, then that’s something I’m truly proud of. Representation matters, and being part of that visibility is one of the most meaningful aspects of what I do.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: jamiezepedart
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamiezepedart