Meet Alfonso Apodaca III

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Alfonso Apodaca III. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alfonso , we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.

I didn’t find my purpose…I was born with paint under my nails and passion in my veins. Art didn’t choose me gently; it seduced me. Since I could hold a brush, I’ve been chasing colors, flirting with chaos, and turning wild emotions into something beautiful enough to make people stop and feel.

Being an artist isn’t just what I do…it’s my oxygen, my love language, my favorite kind of trouble. I live for the late-night bursts of inspiration, the smell of turpentine and coffee, and that intoxicating moment when a blank canvas starts to flirt back.

I was born to make art that’s loud, honest, and maybe a little dangerous…the kind that leaves a mark long after you’ve walked away.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I’m Alfonso Apodaca III, an artist based out Dallas Texas and now in Cocoa Beach, Florida, whose creative journey began early and has evolved into a multi-faceted artistic career. My mother was an artist and my sister a fashion designer, so art has always been part of my DNA. From the moment I could hold a pencil, I found purpose in creating…and over the past two decades, I’ve built a practice that spans medical-legal illustration, large-scale murals, hyper-realistic charcoal drawings, acrylic paintings, and mixed-media works enhanced with augmented reality (AR).

For more than 20 years, I worked as a medical-legal illustrator, producing anatomical and technical drawings for legal cases, medical journals, and educational materials. That foundation in precision and observation has carried through into my fine art…work that explores the layers beneath the surface.

My creative practice includes:
Hyper-realistic charcoal and graphite portraits that reveal depth, emotion, and story. “Blocked art” pieces that conceal layered imagery beneath the surface
encouraging viewers to look deeper and discover something new each time.
Large-scale murals in places like Dallas’ historic Deep Ellum district and my home community of Cocoa Beach. Augmented reality (AR) integrations that bring my artwork to life when viewed through a lens or device, bridging traditional art with modern technology.

What excites me most is combining technical precision with emotional storytelling. My background in medical illustration taught me discipline and anatomy, but my fine art lets me express what those structures feel like…not just what they look like.

My work often centers on human emotion, transformation, and the unseen — themes that mirror life itself. I want people to stand in front of a piece, sense its presence, and realize there’s more there than meets the eye.

This year has been especially exciting. I recently had work featured in an art show at Deep Ellum Art Co in Dallas, a creative hub that has always inspired me. Exhibiting there felt like coming full circle…back to where some of my earliest large murals were painted.

Looking ahead, I’m currently preparing a new mural for St. Pete’s Dancing Marlin, also in the Deep Ellum area. This project is close to my heart…it will blend my signature hyper-realism with hidden, layered symbolism that reflects the energy and culture of the neighborhood.

I’m also continuing to develop my “Blocked Art” series, expanding it with new mixed-media formats and AR-interactive layers. Each piece challenges the viewer to experience art not just visually, but emotionally and technologically.

I’m open to commissions of all kinds…from intimate portraits to immersive large-scale murals. I love collaborating with people and organizations who are ready to push creative boundaries and explore new ways of storytelling through art.

Although I now live and work in Cocoa Beach, my art travels wherever inspiration calls and I’m always open to new projects across the country.

You can view more of my work and follow me on Instagram @LegendaryArts] and Facebook under “Apodaca Art.”

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Three Most Important Qualities, Skills, and Areas of Knowledge

1. Obsession with Detail, Seeing What Others Miss
My background as a graphic designer and medical-legal illustrator sharpened my eye to see the world at a microscopic level structure, shadow, and nuance most people overlook. That obsessive attention to detail became my superpower. Whether I’m rendering muscle fibers in a drawing or layering hidden imagery into a mural, I want the work to breathe. My advice? Train your eye before your ego. Study light. Study form. Study life. When you truly learn to see, your art transforms from something you make… to something that moves people.

2.. Fearless Evolution, Refusing to Stay in One Box
Every time I’ve reached a comfort zone, I’ve burned it down creatively and rebuilt from the ashes. I’ve gone from medical illustration to hyperreal charcoal, to murals, to augmented reality fine art — and each leap has made me better. Growth is messy, but magic happens when you stop asking for permission to evolve. My advice for early artists: experiment ruthlessly. Mix mediums. Cross genres. Fail spectacularly. The art world rewards authenticity and bravery, not perfection.

3. Emotional Precision, Turning Feeling into Form
Technique can make something beautiful, but emotion makes it unforgettable. The most powerful skill I’ve learned is how to translate raw human emotion into visual language — how to take grief, awe, lust, love, or rage and make it tangible. That’s what people connect to; that’s what they remember. My advice? Don’t hide behind your technique. Let your vulnerability show up on the canvas. That’s where real connection…and real art…lives.

In short: see deeper, evolve fearlessly, and feel harder. Those three things…precision, evolution, and emotion… built the artist I am today, and they’ll shape anyone brave enough to truly chase their craft.

Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?

Without question — my two daughters.

Their bravery in life and their unapologetic authenticity have been my greatest teachers. Watching them grow, dream, stumble, and still move forward with fire in their eyes has taught me more about courage than any mentor ever could. They remind me daily that life is meant to be lived, not just survived and that the boldest thing you can do is be exactly who you are.

Their encouragement has been the heartbeat behind my evolution as an artist. When they tell me they’re proud of me, it hits differently, it fuels me to create with purpose, to take risks, and to keep building a legacy that shows them what passion looks like when you never stop chasing it.

At the end of the day, everything I create every mural, every drawing, every layer of meaning…carries a piece of them. They’re the reason I move through this world unafraid.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Libby Apodaca and Zoe Apodaca

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