Marco Galaviz Artists can take inspirations from many different sources. For Marco Galaviz, ideas pop up in the most unlikely places. “Sometimes I can see figures in the patterns in tile or carpet, or the way light plays on the wall. Other times I dream about a subject, sketch an idea and recreate it later,” he says. “I see figures in other objects like clouds or the texture of a wall.”

Galaviz’s early influences include the works of the Old Masters like Michelangelo, DaVinci, Monet and the Mexican painter Diego Rivera, but his work is also influenced by his heritage – He is a Mayo Indian from Mexico – which gives him a unique perspective that is reflected in his work. “I don’t know how others see things, but when I look at someone, I wonder what they are thinking. I take an imaginary trip into their background, their day. When I paint, I include what I imagined in the picture.

Galaviz’s ability to capture the essence of a subject is what makes his paintings special. His favorite piece, painted years ago, is a seven-year old Mexican girl. What he likes about it, he says, is the way the girl’s happiness comes through. “I never thought it was going to turn out as well as it did; I really captured the feeling of that little girl.”

Growing up in the small village of Chinotahucca, Marco knew early that art was his destiny. “In elementary school, I had a dream of going to school and getting an art degree; and I was looking for the opportunity to be an artist. I spent much of my free time sketching,” he remembers. Although he never got the chance to get his art degree, Galaviz worked hard to become an artist, taking many art-related jobs like sign painting. He is mostly self-taught, with much of his training coming from books, a few lessons and from the masters in the U.S. and Mexico whom he has worked under.

Galaviz sees his art as a way to express what he cannot. “I’m a shy person, so I paint what I’d like to be. I use bright colors to be outgoing, to create a lot of energy. There is a part of me that must come out. Painting is an outlet for my energy and my emotions, and I try to make it beautiful.” The multitalented Marco enjoys airbrushing, sculpting and painting in watercolors. He also writes and is currently working on his journal. “I think one day I will write books,” he says.