My work centers on portraiture and figurative imagery as a way to explore identity, cultural memory, and place. Born in Huntington Park, California, and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada, my perspective is shaped by the visual and cultural landscape of the American Southwest, as well as my family’s roots in Michoacán, Mexico. These influences form the foundation of my visual language.
Drawing from Mexican folk traditions and Western imagery, I create work that reflects a blending of histories and lived experiences. I am particularly drawn to figures such as vaqueros, folklórico dancers, mariachis, and Día de los Muertos imagery—subjects that carry deep cultural significance and embody resilience, ritual, and generational continuity.
Through bold imagery and intimate portrayals, I aim to capture moments where past and present converge. My work considers how cultural identity is preserved, performed, and reimagined over time, existing not only as inheritance but as something actively lived and renewed.
In La Salida del Sol, these ideas come together as a reflection on renewal, visibility, and cultural pride—illuminating the enduring presence of tradition within contemporary life. -- Jamie Zepeda
On exhibit at Laughlin Library from November 9, 2026 through February 13, 2027
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