The Wrightwood Community Arts Center will host a special exhibit and is kicking off the new year by featuring the work of local Wrightwood artist El Ballot. The exhibit opens with a free community reception on Saturday, January 3rd, at 5 p.m. and will remain open for public viewing throughout the month during the Wrightwood Art Center’s regular hours of operation which is Friday-Sunday, 12:00pm-5:00pm.
For local Wrightwood artist, El Ballot, art has never been about fitting into a mold, and with more than 30 years of creative experience behind him, El Ballot’s work reflects a lifetime of expression shaped by experimentation and lived experience.
El Ballot began his artistic journey in the 1990s, driven by a desire to convey ideas in ways that words could not fully express. As a teenager, he felt an internal pull toward visual expression, one that would eventually lead him to a lifelong commitment of creating art. Rather than presenting a traditional résumé of achievements, El Ballot prefers to let his body of work speak for itself, having each canvas tell its own unique story.
Primarily working with oil paint on canvas, El Ballot describes himself as a multidisciplinary artist who embraces all mediums within paint. His approach is intentionally fluid and does not define his work by a single style, believing that each canvas deserves its own identity. For El Ballot, imposing a “fixed artistic style” could limit creativity, interfering with the natural process of discovery that unfolds while painting. This philosophy allows his work to remain dynamic and completely unpredictable.
Inspiration for El Ballot’s art often comes from his own life experiences, though sometimes it is as simple as allowing the colors to lead the way. This openness to intuition plays a central role in his creative process, giving his work an organic energy that feels both spontaneous and deliberate.
El Ballot cites artistic greats such as Italian Modernism artist Amedeo Modigliani, French Post-Impressionism artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, and American Contemporary artist Jean-Michel Basquiat as influences. Like these artists, he values individuality and the courage to push beyond convention.
When he isn’t painting, El Ballot finds satisfaction in hands-on pursuits that mirror his creative mindset. He enjoys maintaining his cars and spends time reorganizing and improving his art studio, treating his workspace as an extension of the art itself.
For aspiring artists hoping to one day be featured in a gallery, El Ballot offers this. thoughtful advice: “Be authentic to yourself, don’t push the process, and learn the difference between art and craft.”
Follow El Ballot’s artistic endeavors on Instagram @elballot as he continues to create on his own terms, letting curiosity, color, and authenticity guide every work of art.
