Interview By Ginger Coyote

Pancho with Artist Robert WIlliams

The following interview was done with Pancho, an upcoming Los Angeles based Artist who recently showed his work at the Punk Globe 30th Anniversary Party..  His Artwork embodies the reality of growing up on the streets. He just remembers the Good, The Bad and The Ugly and puts it on Canvas...

Punk Globe: At what age did you realize that you had the gift of drawing and painting?

Pancho: I began drawing when I was in pre-school. The classes taught us daily on how to visualize on a event that took place at home.  The drawings were used as psychological events to understand the living conditions taking place at home from a child's perspective, because I remember I was handed half a stick figure to fill out the blanks, such as an arm, leg, and to fill in the face with eyes, nose, and mouth. I added the face with a black eye, a bloodied nose, and broken teeth.  The arm and leg where shaped with a cast.  I got into trouble because of the picture. The principal of the pre-school called my family for a meeting to understand the living conditions I was living in.  The administrations thought I had problems at home, and I told the teacher and principal that it was all fun and games but they did not want to hear from a four year old.  I decided to draw the character with more oomph instead of boring like adding a stick for an arm and leg and a happy face. That is how I became aware on how people get manipulated by visualizing art that is ambiguous to a person's perception. 

Punk Globe : Do you remember your first drawing? What was it?

Pancho: The first full fledged drawing was of hot rods. I drew it like a box shape with tiny tires, huge windows, and flames going across the exterior. A friend who was ten years older inspired me. His name was William Gomez and loved to draw street rods from the 1920s through the 1970s.

Punk Globe : When you were younger did your Art Teachers urge you to pursue your talent?

Pancho: By the time I was in the fifth grade I had a teacher named Mrs. Prime from Tulsa Street School in Granada Hills. She always encouraged me to compete in school projects.  I entered a drawing contest for the heart association to quit smoking.  I won second place while the first place got to visit the hospital administration and received the winning prize of a 100 dollar bill.

Punk Globe : How would best describe the art work you do?

Pancho: Now, my artwork is all illustration from my perception on growing up on the streets.  I try to remember all the bad, good, and the ugly side of life, such as street punx, skinhead, barrio streets, gangs from Los Angeles to New York, drag-queens, hookers,  pimps, sounds of the city.  etc. I want to bring out the reality of life on the streets to visualize the forgotten history that will probably never be told again.

Punk Globe : Have you gone to school to study art officially?

Pancho: Tough, I did attend California State University, Los Angeles, with a major in Mechanical Engineering and finished all of the undergrad program until I decided to switch my major to animation, then to fine arts. Many teachers inspired me to follow my passion and so I did to the arts. I did animation but then again I switched to fine arts because I was interested in the theories and  history in the arts.

Punk Globe : Who are some of your favorite Artists?

Pancho: Robert Williams, Shawn Kerri, Pushead, Marc Rude, Raymond Pettibon, Ed Roth, Von Dutch, George Barris, Sailor Jerry, Salvadore Dali, Kandinsky, Corrvagio, Wilfredo Lam, Crumb, Dennis Lyon, Bruce Davidson, Graciela Iturbide, artist that did cereal boxes characters,  comic strips, skate boards, and many more…….

Punk Globe : On an average how much time does it take you to finish a project?

Pancho: It all depends on how much detail, what size the frame, and what kind of medium I am using that will be put to a project. It could be in 2 days or a month.

 Punk Globe : Tell us some of the places where you have shown your art at.  What the crowd reaction has been like?

Pancho:  All of my work has been shown at bars in Long Beach to Hollywood since 2000.  I don’t know what their reaction is because they have their own perception on what they like. I get many that compliment me on the art sure they like it, but who knows what really deep inside themselves they feel about it. 

Punk Globe : Have you been approached  to do any drawings with a live model sitting and posing for you ?

Pancho:  Well, besides school, I was in Los Angeles County Jail and Eastlake Juvenile Hall. I did portraits on many inmates because that is all a person has to show for it to send to their family and friends.  I had to be inventive on to hold a pencil a quarter size and adding shadows to the portrait.

Punk Globe :  What  who are some of your inspirations?

Pancho:  My inspirations are to keep discovering new ways of experimental in art if there is any. Also, crap art that sells keeps me motivated.

Punk Globe:: Do you have any advice for young Artists who may have doubts about their talent?

Pancho: Don’t be discouraged.  There will always be criticism but that will help you to develop your skills.

Punk Globe : Can you give the readers any website addresses to see your artwork?

Pancho:  www.punkglobe.com and www.myspace.com/oscarpancho.

Punk Globe :  Do you have any upcoming shows you would like to promote?

Pancho: Not that I know of? Let’s leave it as a big question mark on the map.

Punk Globe:  Perhaps you will get an offer for a show at the  Punk Globe Anniversary Party. Do you have any last words of wisdom for our readers?

Pancho: Don’t be a bitter (plagiarism) be original and have a conceptual idea to make it more of your identity. Keep on truckn’

Thanks so much Pancho.. Please check out Pancho's My Space Profile

 www.myspace.com/oscarpancho.