Cotto Mugs

Miguel Cotto Vintage Bootleg

Puerto Rican boxer.

Vir Cotto quote

During the Covid-19 Lockdown in my reflections on Holy Week I thought about how the word "Corona" means "Crown" and it made me contemplate an analogy where sin is the original pandemic afflicting humanity. Even before the pandemic many people lived in fear to go where they wanted to when they wanted to because of the hatred and brutality of others. We live in a world that is infected by sin and many times we infect others through our actions and attitudes and failure to 'Love your neighbor as yourself’.

un modo molto chiaro di dire ad una persona che ha scocciato

A transition through color.

This painting shows the moment a door is opened and reveals a woman waiting in the dark all dressed up sitting in a highback chair as if on a throne. Something dramatic is about to happen for sure. This is one of my works from art school. I used photos in an old photography book for reference. It may be Marlene Dietrich but it ended up looking more like her daughter Maria Rivas. One of my favorite paintings from those days.

Celebrating Home Cooks! This design celebrates the Puerto Rican, Caribbean and Latino Home Cook. Celebrando la cocina Boricua, Caribeña y Latina. Con receta, de memoria o al garete, seguimos la tradición de la comida sabrosa.

This 2008 Painting is the last I did featuring the Easter Island Statues. It imagines the Moai coming to life to rebuild the lost culture of Rapa Nui.

!A Mi Me Criaron Con Manteca! (I was raised on lard!) A saying in our Family that means I was raised on the real deal genuine stuff.

Celebrating Mama Bears Everywhere!

This 2002 painting was inspired by Easter Island and thoughts of culture clash and disparate times and technologies.

I admit I tend to go Salty in my cooking and of course I always say "It Enhances the Flavor". It can enhance conversations too!:)

Lady Honey Bear Emblazoned with the words: My Mind on My Honey and My Honey on My Mind

"Runaway Automaton Neon" Inspired by 80s video games and the kind of stuff I used to draw on my folders in school as a kid. This robot is breaking out of its grid.
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– "Automaton fugitivo en neón" Inspirado en los videojuegos de los 80 y el tipo de cosas que solía dibujar en mis carpetas en la escuela cuando era niño. Este robot está saliendo de su cuadrícula.

I’ve always been terrible at math and homework always took me forever to do. Probably because of all the daydreaming I did. This painting from 2002 incorporated actual sheets of my algebra homework and oceanic scenes, with a goldfish I had at the time and an angler fish. I guess I would of preferred learning about the ocean or discovering the mysteries of the bottom of the sea than graphing the function.

!A Mi Me Criaron Con Manteca! (I was raised on lard!) A saying in our Family that means I was raised on the real deal genuine stuff.

"Don Quixote en La Mancha" The ultimate escapist, the Manchegan Knight trotting off into the Manchegan night. Whether through his books of chivalry or his dillusions or his actual suiting up and venturing into the night in search of giants to slay, foes to vanquish and the love of Dulcinea. I called it "en La Mancha" because the painting is executed by blots and dabs of paint, an assembly of stains. Mancha besides being a place name means stain. ––––––––––– "Don Quijote en La Mancha" El supremo escapista, el caballero Manchego trotando en las vistas Manchegas. Ya sea a través de sus libros de caballería o sus delirios o su aventurarse en la noche en busca de gigantes para matar, enemigos para vencer y el amor de Dulcinea.

I’ve always been terrible at math and homework always took me forever to do. Probably because of all the daydreaming I did. This painting from 2002 incorporated actual sheets of my algebra homework and oceanic scenes, with an Easter Island statue that was usually in most of my paintings at the time. I guess I would of preferred learning about the ocean or discovering a mysterious statue at the bottom of the sea than finding X.

World War I Biplane on dawn patrol

Sacred Heart of Jesus with Chi Rho within a pink heart symbolizing Agape Love.

In this painting I incorporated images from linoleum print blocks I had created in Junior High, High School and Art School. I was inspired by the Pink Floyd song “Set Your Controls for the Heart of the Sun” as I imagined living creatures playfully tumbling in the heat. The linoleum print block images included a Panamanian Huaca, a Scorpions design and a stylized Egyptian Eye in the form of the letter M. This is one of my earliest paintings circa 1994.


Lady Honey Bear Emblazoned with the words: My Mind on My Honey and My Honey on My Mind

During the Covid-19 Lockdown in my reflections on Holy Week I thought about how the word "Corona" means "Crown" and it made me contemplate an analogy where sin is the original pandemic afflicting humanity. Even before the pandemic many people lived in fear to go where they wanted to when they wanted to because of the hatred and brutality of others. We live in a world that is infected by sin and many times we infect others through our actions and attitudes and failure to 'Love your neighbor as yourself’.

This is a version of my Plaintive Sun Painting with the colors altered digitally. This painting depicts a toxic sun stylized in the form of tribal radiation symbol. Sometimes in life this is the sun that rises to meet us and all we can do is get through the day.

This is a version of my Plaintive Sun Painting with the colors altered digitally. This painting depicts a toxic sun stylized in the form of tribal radiation symbol. Sometimes in life this is the sun that rises to meet us and all we can do is get through the day.

This is a version of my Plaintive Sun Painting with the colors altered digitally. This painting depicts a toxic sun stylized in the form of tribal radiation symbol. Sometimes in life this is the sun that rises to meet us and all we can do is get through the day.

This is from my time in art school. It's a Cubist style rendition of a Les Paul electric guitar and a lamp.

This was a point about 2004 that my paintings started to look like black light posters. I started using black backgrounds and very bright colors in a very purposeful way.This painting depicts a toxic sun stylized in the form of tribal radiation symbol. Sometimes in life this is the sun that rises to meet us and all we can do is get through the day.

This is one of my later works, It features some characters that appear in many of my paintings. I had a vivid dream one night about souls rising up to Heaven in the form of wispy vapor like figures. They were kind of elongating like the supposed spaghettification effect of a black hole.

When my brother and I left home to live in Houston we went in old classic vehicles. As I left on my first turn a hubcap cover flew off so I stopped, threw it in the trunk and continued the journey. We had lots of adventures and the mustang had lots of breakdowns, lucky my brother was a good mechanic. This painting reflects the optimism of those days and the many road trips we took. A few years later both vehicles were lost in a garage fire at my brothers house. This painting is from my school art days in 92.

Face of the Shroud of Turin Image encircled by a depiction of the Crown of Thorns. Stylized in green and black because out of the darkness of the tomb came resurrection and salvation and the promise of new life for the world. "May, O Lord, the light of Thy countenance shine upon us".

This is my "Butterfly Sky" painting with the colors altered digitally. Around 2009 my paintings became more abstract and simpler. Mostly because I had less time to paint as my Wife and I started a family. I think my work started to look more beautiful as a result.

During the Covid-19 Lockdown in my reflections on Holy Week I thought about how the word "Corona" means "Crown" and it made me contemplate an analogy where sin is the original pandemic afflicting humanity. Even before the pandemic many people lived in fear to go where they wanted to when they wanted to because of the hatred and brutality of others. We live in a world that is infected by sin and many times we infect others through our actions and attitudes and failure to 'Love your neighbor as yourself’.