Courtesy

NAME: Alejandra Gómez, 29

BEST KNOWN FOR: Stylized folk oil paintings on oak that incorporate imagery from Hispanic culture and other cultures.

Most of Gómez’s work is portraiture, both people and animals. “I’ll stop people in the street who have a certain look who need to be painted,” she said.

CURRENTLY: In the group show “Tres Mujeres, Tres Pintoras, Triple Jeopardy,” Gómez’s five paintings examine icons of all sorts.

“Paleteroman” shows a paleta seller bicycling through outer space. “Ruby: The Evolution of Dorothy” depicts a fierce woman, whom Gómez said is “a strong representation of the kind of female warrior that we all possess.”

For “Benito Juárez,” a painting of the Mexican Indian who served as president of Mexico, Gómez placed a Byzantine halo around Juárez’s head and encircled him in an Aztec serpent. “I wanted that contrast, that juxtaposition between old Catholic values and modern mestizo culture,” she said.

“El Mariachi” is a portrait of a local mariachi singer, but as Gómez painted his “sad jowls,” she ended up with the image of a bulldog. “It’s his mariachi spirit and his nostalgia that I was trying to capture,” she said.

BACKGROUND: Born in Mexico City, Gómez lived in Miami for several years as a child, surrounded by different cultures, which she said sparked her interest in anthropology and culture.

Later, she earned degrees in illustration and in studio art from Texas State University. She now teaches art at Somerset High School.

CHECK HER OUT: “Tres Mujeres, Tres Pintoras, Triple Jeopardy,” which includes works by Carolina Flores and Stella Marroquin, is up at Artereyes Contemporary Art, Blue Star Arts Complex through Saturday, June 21. Gómez’s work will also be part of “Welcome to the Monkey House,” which opens July 3 at UTSA Satellite Space at Blue Star. Or go to gomez-art.net.

Jessica Belasco