Meet Jesse Fregozo

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jesse Fregozo a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Jesse , appreciate you making time for us and sharing your wisdom with the community. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others overcame obstacles can be helpful. One of those struggles is keeping creativity alive despite all the stresses, challenges and problems we might be dealing with. How do you keep your creativity alive?

I continue to keep the fire and my creativity fuel on full by having community interaction and teaching art to formal incarcerated youth. I fell both of this practices feed my soul that then yet bridges the connection between creating ideas that lead to the development of compositions for futures works of art. This works of art then turns into the voices and the words of the people, my people, that most of the time stay in silence but that can now be heard through artwork that represents our community as a whole, our identity as one and our culture that will for generations keep us braded as one

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

Jesse Fregozo is a native Angeleno who primarily works as a painter and teaching
artist. He vocalizes the struggles of marginalized communities through the
representation of identity and culture as a primary focus. Fregozo uses locations around
his community as symbols of identity and a cultural lifestyle that has been carried down
generation after generation. Fregozo straddles the line between design and pop culture in the development of his work. His intense works on canvas, paper, photography, and design are mediums for the development of his artwork. Fregozo is currently a teaching artist at the Homeboy Art Academy. This past fall he painted a mural titled Community is Life at White Memorial Community Wellness Center in the city of Montebello. Fregozo was also invited to Mexico City by Chicano sin Fronteras to represent the Homeboy Art Academy and was part of various artist panels in high end institutions around the city like UNAM and La Esmeralda. He was part of
35×35 art exhibition organized by Centro Cultural y Cinematografico Mexico at the
Consulate General of Mexico in Los Angeles, where he received an honorary mention.
Currently Fregozo is part of SPARC, Social Public Art & Resource Center: along
side Judith F. Baca where he is working on the Great Wall of Los Angeles mural project.
This project is considered to be the longest mural in the world.

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

I believe 3 qualities were of course public speaking, the idea of receiving constructive criticism on my work and dealing with clients and closing deals on projects. I believe making your self easy to work with and having a set schedule is a key component. As an artist, time and space play a huge factor in everything we do therefore making time for it is key.

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

Overall, l have to say I’ve had great mentors throughout my career who l greatly admire and have learned a lot from. After painting and working close to them i always feel inspired by the motivation carried in there practice and i gravitate to the energy they release in there work. I tend to apply the same love, time and energy to my work and continue growing.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fregozo_arte