Studio Visit & Interview with Elías Hernandez
By John Vochatzer
A few weeks ago my friend Brent Hayden and I bore Thursday rush hour traffic to make a little pilgrimage over to Castro Valley to visit the studio of artist Elías Hernandez. Working out of a garage right off of the Interstate 580, Elías himself made the commute over from his hometown of San Jose where he lives and also works as a teacher. The studio itself, while feeling temporary and not quite settled in, housed Elías’ recent works-in-progress that showcased a level of care and detail suggesting the opposite, as if he’d spent many tireless months and hours in this little garage. Getting to see these giant masterpieces in the works, as well as his back catalogue of other drawings and paintings, was unquestionably worth the traffic.
Untitled painting by Elías, Oil on canvas. 2022
The majority of Elías’ work is characterized by anthropomorphic canines and other animals that are usually brightly colored and almost always heavily fanged and with giant warped grins, elongated fingers, and glaring villainous eyes. His work often borders on pop-surrealism—drawing on a ride range of influences spanning from Hieronymous Bosch, to cartoons he liked as a child, to trips to his father’s native country of El Salvador. After a lifetime of avidly drawing, Elías recently graduated from the arts program at UCLA where of which he began taking his drawings into the realm of oil painting where this characteristic style echoes now louder than ever and has had more space to develop and grow.
And yet this colorful inner world of Elías is still in it’s formative stages, as he says, and these fantastical creatures and beings that have long been part of his imagination are still young on their paths of self-discovery and self-realization. I for one am very excited to see their continued development and Elías is one Bay Area emerging artist who’s growth I definitely recommend keeping an eye on.
Interview
Hey Elias! It was a pleasure checking out your studio in Castro Valley and seeing what you’ve been working on. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and the art that you do?
I consider myself an educator and studio artist because I love both teaching and creating. I grew up in the Bay Area, San Jose and moved all around the South Bay and eventually became a first gen in my family with an art degree. The art that I make at the moment is a reflection of my life in an imaginary universe where figures take parts of my identity through subjects, themes, and hobbies. I would like to say that I am at an early stage in building my world where all figures are on a quest in finding their meanings.
Your dad is from El Salvador, and mom is from Mexico—you mentioned some of these cultural influences inspiring elements of your work. How would you describe those inspirations?
Some of the inspirations that peak through my work are from every trip I have taken to El Salvador, and sometimes they can be simple as color, family stories, landscapes, images, and graffiti.
Some things that have almost developed into trademarks in your work are the fingers and teeth—they make their way into almost all of your paintings and you have a very distinct way of painting them both. Want to tell us a little bit about where these elements came from and what they signify to you?
“Two Headed,” oil on canvas. 2022.
These trademarks that peak through go far back when I would free draw in 3rd grade. At that time I would watch countless cartoons and always admire how cool villains look with their pointy teeth and hands. So I felt the need to add those in my drawings, which later involved an idea that we all have some "bad" in us. I am wanting to create this discussion that every villain that one might describe has a backstory to be explored and so the hands in my art become these perspectives that an audience can enter and be a part of the realm.
It seems like you gravitate mostly between oil painting and drawing. What’s the creative process like for you? And how do the drawings and paintings inform one another?
Drawing has always been my strong suit until I was introduced to oil painting in community college. It was not until I went to UCLA that I realized I could draw bigger things such as placing huge sheets on walls and using a ladder to move around. Drawing has always captured my movement in hands, details, and was transportable. Over time I made my connection that painting is like drawing and I felt this need to make them feel like one another through time, blending, and movement. I have this habit of drawing underneath my painting with graphite because It's a medium that I can not let go of.
You received your BA in arts from the University of Los Angeles in 2020-- can you tell us a little bit about what your education as an artist was like? And how did it shape the artist that you are now?
Of course, I have a love and hate relationship with UCLA, because of the amount of conceptual art I had to make and critique which I now enjoy since I am the only voice in my studio when I paint. I was able to make solid friendships that are still current and the relationships with the professor were amazing since class size was small along with grad students. Overall, it was a great experience especially having studio space which built my character as an artist to keep on making work regardless of what was happening around my personal life and school.
What are some of your biggest influences as an artist? And who are some artists that you look up to?
As an artist I would say most of my current influences are everywhere such as Max Ernst, Frida Khalo, and Bosch. I am also into artists such as Peter Saul, David Hockney, and Giorgio de Chirico. I am also aware of my friends' art that I follow that are my inspiration since we often relate in the current work we make which is figurative. I try not to be too inspired because I don't really want to see those inspirations overtake the work that I make that ends up being too familiar.
Apart from your practice as an artist, you also work as a teacher teaching art to 2nd-8th grade students. How do you enjoy teaching young kids? And do you think the experience affects the way you look at or approach your own art?
Besides the idea that we all need education, I love the amount of passion my students carry and learners who are willing to try art and create. Most of these students have an enormous amount of creativity that feels loose and humorous in hopes that I can even translate that back into my works whether it's by the style or expression.
You’ve been in a few exhibits recently, including one in London and one in North Carolina. Want to tell us a little bit about these exhibits? Or anything else exciting you currently have lined up?
I was honored to have work shown in both London, and North Carolina. I was most curious by the amount of engagement I had and the audience I made through my work which helped me form a supportive group of artists. At this moment I'm probably the most busy I've ever been again by getting ready for grad applications along with three upcoming shows and a publication by a Magazine. I am just excited to be showing again in San Francisco and in Los Angeles in which I will be sharing on my social media.
As an emerging artist pretty new to the Bay Area art scene, where would you like to be taking your work next?
I would love to keep taking my work to the bay such as Oakland, San Francisco, and also to Los Angeles; however, If I could I would want to find space in New York or Latin America for a bigger audience that I can relate whether it be by ethnicity, or cultural interest to help inspire my work more.
