Luis Mena
As a child, I developed a passion for art, running to the soul, heart, and blood in my veins.
Category: Artist/Individual
Discipline: Visual arts
Program Affiliations: SaludArte
About Luis Mena
An American artist, working in Muralism, sculpture, oil painting, film, photography, watercolor, charcoal, etching, poetry, fashion, design, etc. American ethnicity DNA-70% Native American/ 30% Spanish surrounded by my family, native Arizonans. As a child, I developed a passion for art, running to the soul, heart, and blood in my veins. My influences were my uncles Ismael Castro Mena and Alex Castro Mena, and others like Alfred J. Quito's, Luis Jimenez, Willie Cosio, Mr Elden Matthews from Tucson High, Jack Klock from Safford, and Mr. Mackaben. They gave me freedom in artistic education and encouragement; Jose Clemente Orozco, David Alfaro Siqueiros from the 1980s, and others.
La Vida de Nuestros Barrios Unidos
The patinated bronze sculpture depicts a woman in a tea-length and short-sleeved dress with a scarf around her head looking and pointing off into the distance with her left hand. She is barefoot and seemingly headed in the direction she is looking with a single tear running down her right cheek. Holding her right hand and to her right hand is a young, barefoot boy in a t-shirt and jeans, pointing with his right hand. They are mounted to an elevated, poured-in-place concrete pedestal. There are engraved bronze plaques mounted to other concrete pedestal elements throughout the plaza.
La Primera Vista
The artwork is a three-figure bronze sculpture depicting a man, woman and a baby. The man and woman are looking off into the distance. The baby is looking with surprise at a grasshopper that is standing on a corn cob that he is holding. The bronze is patinated in both hot and cold patina to provide different colors to skin, clothing and corn.
