I was born in Los Angeles in 1972, but I’ve lived in Ukiah since 1976. My artistic journey started at the Co-op Nursery school by Todd Grove Park, when I was given Tempera paints, and I still marvel at their beauty. My favorite medium is oil paints, and occasionally watercolors. I use acrylics when I’m painting murals, and I also love to draw with charcoal or pastel. I am self-taught. Creating portraits is probably my favorite endeavor, with landscapes a close second.
I have entered and won ribbons in the Mendocino Open Plein Air Paint competition, including an Artist’s Award. I hope to spend more time painting the dynamic landscapes of Mendocino County in the near future.
I have been doing professional work since the mid 90’s, from illustration jobs to creating wine labels, to private commissions, to large scale mural jobs. For the better part of the last 7 years I have been teaching art for Ukiah Unified School District, and recently MCOE. My students range in age from Kinder through High School.
I try to inspire the kids to embrace their own creative powers, and enjoy the process of making beautiful things by hand. I believe the arts are essential to children’s well-being, and I feel very privileged to be in this position.
In my free time I have been working on medium to larger scale oil paintings and drawings of Native American, and generally Western themed work. I plan on having a show when I have enough pieces completed. Many of my favorite artists are in the We ... view more »
I was born in Los Angeles in 1972, but I’ve lived in Ukiah since 1976. My artistic journey started at the Co-op Nursery school by Todd Grove Park, when I was given Tempera paints, and I still marvel at their beauty. My favorite medium is oil paints, and occasionally watercolors. I use acrylics when I’m painting murals, and I also love to draw with charcoal or pastel. I am self-taught. Creating portraits is probably my favorite endeavor, with landscapes a close second.
I have entered and won ribbons in the Mendocino Open Plein Air Paint competition, including an Artist’s Award. I hope to spend more time painting the dynamic landscapes of Mendocino County in the near future.
I have been doing professional work since the mid 90’s, from illustration jobs to creating wine labels, to private commissions, to large scale mural jobs. For the better part of the last 7 years I have been teaching art for Ukiah Unified School District, and recently MCOE. My students range in age from Kinder through High School.
I try to inspire the kids to embrace their own creative powers, and enjoy the process of making beautiful things by hand. I believe the arts are essential to children’s well-being, and I feel very privileged to be in this position.
In my free time I have been working on medium to larger scale oil paintings and drawings of Native American, and generally Western themed work. I plan on having a show when I have enough pieces completed. Many of my favorite artists are in the Western Genre, and I was fortunate enough to visit Santa Fe and Taos, New Mexico, this year. Maynard Dixon, and Nicolai Fechin, to name a few of my favorites that worked there. I also generally love Tonalism, American Impressionism, Art Nouveau and the Art Deco movements.
I have always considered myself an easel artist, but over the last 6 years creating murals became a path I ventured down. I still don’t really consider myself a mural artist, but it’s funny how things happen while we plan for other things. You do one, and then another, and suddenly you have a few under your belt. I use brushes still, I fear I would make a mess with any spray technique. I’ll leave the big big walls for the real pros.
I painted a mural at Grace Hudson Elementary School, and they asked if I could include some cultural icons, like Dr. Martin Luther King, Cesar Chavez, and Dolores Huerta. Dolores worked with Cesar Chavez, to help establish agriculture workers rights. When I painted her face on the wall, my mom said, “Wow that’s great, I should call Dolores and see if she might be able to make it up to Ukiah at some point.” I had no idea my mom had met her before, but my mom’s husband had known Cesar Chavez when he was younger, and had marched with him and Dolores. She called, and sure enough, Dolores was able to stop in Ukiah later that school year. Grace Hudson Elementary is a Spanish Immersion School, so the kids knew all about her. She was welcomed like a rock star, and gave a great talk to the students. She signed the mural, which was a huge honor. She also signed a drawing I did of her for the school, and it was a very special day.
Receiving the Arts Champion Award is such a wonderful honor, I’m incredibly grateful to those who feel I’m worthy. I love Mendocino County, it’s such an artist’s paradise. I thank the Arts Council for supporting one of the most crucial parts of our community, artistic expression and beautification of our towns and home.
See more at https://lonnielopezart.com Thank You!
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