Inside the Studio:
Creative Process & Purpose
Bear’s creative journey doesn’t begin in silence. It often starts with the hiss of a spray can or the deep, deliberate press of ink on paper. There is rarely a fixed plan. Sometimes it begins with printmaking. Other times, the spark comes from graffiti. One medium inspires the next, a constant push and pull between tradition and experimentation.
Her starting point is almost always a photograph. Bear scrolls through snapshots, some recent and others taken years ago, and lets something click. Maybe it is a gesture, a glance, or the way sunlight hit a wall. From there, the sketching begins. Drawing from candid photos, posed references, or real life, the lines take shape. But nothing is final. Not yet. The piece keeps evolving as she adds, subtracts, and lets the work guide her.
The materials matter. Bear loves the tactile nature of ink, wood, and paper. There is a grounding quality to carving a block or pulling a print. But she has also fallen for the raw, quick expression of spray paint. In her world, there is no separation between high art and street art. Both speak truth. Both deserve space. The magic lives in blending the two.
The stories Bear tells often arrive uninvited: a dream, a sudden emotion, a thread of research that hits close to home. Rather than chase ideas, she tries to stay open, letting the story decide when it is ready.
Balancing life as an artist and registrar at the El Paso Museum of Art is not a struggle. It is a rhythm. Working daily with sacred objects and archival records feeds her creativity and because her job does not depend on selling work to survive, Bear can create from a place of freedom. Free from pressure. Free to be honest.
One piece that holds deep meaning is Our Lady of Chuco, a mixed media linocut inspired by Our Lady of Lourdes. Instead of framing it the usual way, Bear placed it at the center of a handmade dreamcatcher, a skill passed down from her grandmother. It is more than a piece. It is a spiritual checkpoint, a tribute to home, heritage, and growth. In Bear’s world, art is not just about making. It is about listening, honoring, and building bridges between stories that want to be told. Below she tells us a little more about her story.
