Artist: David Villegas

Along with providing opportunities to make art, interact with artists, and rent space for creative expression, Cedars Art House also includes the studio space for local artist, David Villegas.

As a child, David’s heroes were mechanics, masons, meat packers, and boxers. These were men whose skin and hair were dark like his and who sounded like him. They were men who sacrificed their bodies so that their children would not have to. Objects that once belonged to these men are used in the creation of David’s prints and 3-D work. He’s collected work-worn shirts and jackets as well as fight-worn boxing trunks and gloves that have all been incorporated into the process of making his work. The objects are either pressed into the paper itself or a direct cast of the object is made. Thus, the work contains a direct lineage back to the original body that it once belonged to, much like a relic.

Ultimately, through the use of prints and objects, the viewer of David’s work is offered a chance to learn a little bit about David, and have a glimpse into what has shaped him and continues to motivate him.