Journey of a painter

Growing up in East Los Angeles in the late 1970’s gave me an early introduction to art through many of the community murals painted by the local youth.  In the 1980’s the hip-hop scene opened up an ore vibrant and raw sense of art.  We called it Graff art.  By 1983 I was immersed in the Graff art world, painting characters in the riverbeds and trying to expand my color comps in battles with other writers.  In 1985 the Graff scene in LA was in its full glory, writers from all over would gather in yards to paint, listen to music or break dance.  I was in art school during this time, at Otis Parsons in the Mac Arthur Park area, on scholarships and grants.  Still wondering what would be the outcome of my career as an artist, in 1988 in my last year before graduation from art school I found my self-facing a life or death situation, I chose life.  I spent several months contemplating my actions and decided to pick up a bible and search for answers.  The more I read the more I was asked to trust and to believe.  I spoke out in truth and found myself facing life in prison for manslaughter.  I spent one year in the Los Angeles county jail fighting my case, during this time it was like spiritual boot camp.  Everything I read in the bible would seem to manifest itself in my jail cell.  My case finally ended with a 5- year sentence in prison, in a court room known as “No Walk Norwalk” superior court. Judge's there were handing out life sentences like there were candies.

During this time I spent many hours reading and fellowshipping with other Christian inmates.  I drew as much as I could and also read many art books.  Upon my release in mid 1991 I didn’t think I would still pursue my artistic dreams.  I applied for any and every job opening I encountered but my felony haunted me like a ghost, no ex-cons for hire.  Finally an old friend of mine gave me an opportunity to work in the community cleaning the streets of Los Angeles and teaching kids work ethics.  This worked out fine but after I wondered how all my artistic background could be used in cleaning streets.  My answer came in 1992 after the civil unrest also call the LA riots.  I took my team and began to paint on the boarded up windows- messages of hope, peace, unity and restoration.  After the media picked it up, it gave my team and the community organization I worked for positive publicity.  I began to paint more of these images and moved on to full murals.  From 1992 to 1995 our team must have painted about 50 murals.

During this time my easel paintings consisted of Chicano art and works about my prison experience.  In 1996 I began to feel a great compulsion to begin to paint spiritual themes.  I fought with the idea especially since Chicano art worked well with my mural painting popularity not to mention that my one man prison art experience art show completely sold out.  For a short while I tried to live out the typical bohemian artsy life style going to all the art openings having social conscious artistic gatherings in my house.  I began to drink heavely and some how lost vision of what God had brought me through in my past, but my God as loving as He is made sure I would be reminded of it.  In 1997 I was once again facing a judge, fighting another felony. I was given my first deal and was asked to plead guilty in exchange for 70 years in prison for a second strike.  I did not accept and fought the case for about a year in county and quickly remembered how to pray and seek the Lord.  God found favor in me and miraculously appointed a private attorney that got the case dismissed in her first appearance.  I lost the only job I had and experienced a bit more of my Lords humbling methods by applying for welfare (which only lasted for several weeks).  I then created a company called Creative Art Solutions that allowed me to survive for the next five years, producing an additional 150 murals. I struggled spiritually back and forth and finally giving it all to the Lord I completely surrendering my life to him and asked him to show me his way and opening my eyes to the wonders of his spiritual world.

In 2001 I was blessed with a wonderful wife and later with a blessed child, I made a decision to paint what He wanted and He inspired my paintings with life, color, texture and spirit. 

Thank you Lord for all your Blessings.

John Zender Estrada