Today we’d like to introduce you to Nick Gutierrez.
Hi Nick, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My love for art started when I was a kid and would draw all over the walls of my family home in Juarez, Chihuahua. I grew up snatching books from my older brothers that were supposed to teach you how to draw and opted to just try to copy the images myself while ignoring the directions. I loved stationary sections in department stores and used to sell sketches to my family members for a dollar (or two for two dollars, what a bargain!). My love for art developed a bit more in high school with art electives and I was later invited to join the National Art Honor Society. I started taking my art seriously when I took AP Art in my senior year and had the daunting task of putting together two portfolios of about 10-15 pieces each. This was around the same time that I was applying to universities, deciding which one I wanted to commit to, and which major I was going to declare. I decided to pursue Communications Design after learning that James Hetfield had expressed interest in becoming a graphic designer. From there I went on to attend the Santa Fe University of Art and Design for one year before it permanently closed. I then moved to Denver, Colorado and transferred to Regis University where I majored in Visual Arts and Design. Since then, I’ve gone on to be a graphic designer for Museo de las Americas and a coffee roastery, I’ve taught graphic design, and now work in print production. I still pursue studio art on the side with the help of CHANT Cooperative and my wonderful professors from Regis who continue to help me find opportunities to share my work. I’ve had my work featured at the Museum of Art in Fort Collins, Museo de las Americas, Bell Projects, the Temple, Kashi Kari Gallery, and more. I’ve also hosted workshops and occasionally sell my art at markets. My current media of choice is collage and illustration and I am focused on work that explores the layers of my identity with the goal of becoming comfortable with being vulnerable, learning to love myself, and being the protagonist of my own life.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It’s been a bumpy ride for sure. My artistic journey has not been easy. There was always pushback from my family about that career choice, mainly that it doesn’t provide a steady source of income. Despite this, they have always been quite supportive. I think a lot of the pushback was meant as a joke, but the struggle is very real, especially now with AI in the mix. Growing up I had a lot of trouble figuring out how to take my art seriously until I started using it as a way to communicate and share things I love with others. I’ve had depression and anxiety for as long as I can remember and have struggled with my gender identity for most of my life. Art gradually became a way to process that and navigate these struggles that I rarely shared with anyone. I also previously mentioned that the first university I attended closed after my first year. This was pretty devastating since it was my dream school and being there was the first time I felt at home somewhere, like I belonged. I’ve since made a nice little home for myself in Denver, but it wasn’t like that for a long time. The pandemic unfortunately made it so that I did not get a graduation and was unable to celebrate with my family. I was also in an abusive relationship for a long time, which really hindered my creativity and ability to make art in a very unsupportive household. Despite that and more, I am grateful to still be here creating and taking steps to building the life I want for myself. Art continues to be a tool that helps me process these events and share my story with others in hopes of providing some sort of connection or comfort. Some days are harder than others but I try to keep on trucking.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
In the past, my work has explored subjects such as astronomy and physics, Catholicism, my Latinx heritage, depression and anxiety, existentialism, and personal identity. As mentioned, I use my art as a way to process emotions and events, so there is a lot of personal history featured in my work even if it’s not always obvious. I’ve also worked with a lot of different media over the years such as gouache paint, printmaking, ink, graphite, collage, digital tablets, and acrylic paint. I’ve always been really proud of my senior thesis, which was focused on light, time, and space. I still love those paintings because I am still so enamored with the topics and many of the pieces were abstract images and patterns. Most recently I am proud of the collage pieces I have been producing over the past year. It feels like I’m starting to find my style and learning how to be vulnerable through my work. It’s been a blast creating work that is essentially larger versions of my sketchbooks and being able to do a lot of self reflecting over the last few years of my life. It’s helped me realize how far I’ve come, what I’ve been able to overcome on my own, and be grateful for where I am now. I’d like my upcoming works to continue this trend and focus more on my gender identity and journey so that I can reflect on the present and future, rather than the past. I am not sure what sets me apart from others, I just try to be myself and hope my work makes someone feel something.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
I’m not too sure. With AI lurking behind every corner nowadays, it’s easy to say we have a bleak future ahead of us. But, I’m going to try and fight my cynicism with hope that this will lead to a resurgence of DIY projects, analog lifestyles, and physical media. I recently hosted a collage-making workshop and was touched by how many people thanked me for giving them a space where they could create without pressure and enjoy being offline for a while. They were also grateful to be able to create something using their own hands. Hearing all of this made me really happy and glad that other people were able to find joy in creating something by themselves that they could hold and take home. So, I guess more of that in the world would be cool.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://bloodgulchblue.wixsite.com/midnightscreeningart
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/midnightscreeningart/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimberly-gutierrez-76396a98
- Other: https://www.redbubble.com/people/mnscrart/shop
