Conversations with David Ocelotl

Today we’d like to introduce you to David Ocelotl. 

Hi David, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My name is David Ocelotl Garcia and I discovered my natural ability and passion for fine art at the age of eleven. My early work consisted of life drawing and water-based sculpture, which I created at the Art Students League of Denver. By the age of eighteen, I was assisting professional muralists and monumental bronze sculptors. Now, my own work ranges from large-scale interior and exterior murals painted directly on existing surfaces, panels, cloth, and canvas as well as mosaic and sculpture. Through self-meditation and creative exploration as well as the universal study of art, I have developed my own technique and philosophy on painting and sculpture called “Abstract Imaginism.” Abstract Imaginism is a style of art that I developed that combines the spontaneity and unpredictability of abstraction with the creativity and perception of his imagination. In addition, my work is very influenced by the movement of atomic energy and its effect on all living things. It is through my art, that I hope to manifest beauty, inspiration, color, and energy. 

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 very challenging as the path of the artist always is. The biggest challenge is getting people to believe in your work however, all it really takes is believing in yourself. I’m have been very fortunate to have met many wonderful people along the way. 

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
There are many things that sparked my interest in murals and continue to do so but one of the most significant has to do with my heritage. My father is from Guanajuato and my mother from Jalisco. In my research of the Mexican mural movement, I discovered that Diego Rivera was born in Guanajuato and Jose Clemente Orozco was born in Jalisco. This realization made me feel very connected and inspired about my heritage and I imagined as well as believed that mural painting or as least the energy of creativity comes from my ancestors and that both Rivera, Orozco must have felt the same way I do, and through our ancestral heritage, I believe we are all connected. 

Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
One of the things I like about our city is that it is growing and creating lots of opportunities for artists. One of the things I like the least about our city is that it is growing faster than we can keep up with. 

Contact Info:

• Email: ocelotlart@gmail.com
• Website: ocelotlart.com
• Other: https://www.ocelotlart.com/bio-and-contact.html

Image Credits
Kennedy Cottrell