Featured Artist - Oscar Loeza

Oscar Jaíro Loeza was born in Michoacán, Mexico on September 17, 1989. At just 3 months old, he crossed the Mexico-United States border with his parents and two sisters. Oscar spent most of his childhood living in Orange County, where he was diagnosed with Muscular Dystrophy at 3 years old after having experienced knee pain and limping. His mother began using drawings and doodles to distract him from his disability, propelling his art journey. Because Muscular Dystrophy affects every muscle in the body, weakening it, the disease also began to compromise Oscar’s respiratory system.

Oscar’s diagnosis limited his activity that other children his age regularly experienced. When Oscar became a teenager, he turned to alcohol as a form of rebellion and escapism. At the same time, his damaged muscles became progressively weaker, eventually requiring him to undergo back surgery and needing a wheelchair to become mobile.

Despite his rebellious behavior and lifelong disease, Oscar devoted time and energy to indulge in his true passion: art. Over the last three decades, Oscar has explored various art styles from drawing to painting. His work is a form of expressionism with a hint of realism. He paints from the soul and dwells in what he feels until the piece is finished.

Oscar follows the philosophy that “Nothing is perfect, we go about life trying to perfect ourselves so much that we forget the art in everyday life. Art is what you make it and what speaks out of you”. While Oscar paints, he keeps others in mind who do not have the ability or resources to create art. Keeping his own mental and physical struggles in mind, Oscar creates images generated by his thoughts.