Recreational
Recreational is a collection of nonfiction graphic essays exploring the cannabis legalization processes in Mexico and The United States through personal experiences, anecdotes, and research.
Telling the Story
Recreational‘s first chapter begins in Guadalajara, where my family is from, and where the first narcos) in Mexico lived and operated before they killed a DEA agent working undercover. From then on, the anti-war effort cooperation between both countries has intensified, but it has also unleashed unforeseen consequences for Mexico, like arms trafficking, drug selling, and increased corruption and violence.
Project Delivery
I worked on a Pitch Book and Sample Pages of the project. I am currently showing this to editors and publicists to turn these sample pages into a full book. I want to talk about my experiences living in New York, Mexico, and California and how every legalization project is different and has diverse consequences for the population.
Process
Recreational was made with ink and brush on paper for the line work and colored digitally. Ink is messy by nature: you have to work around your mistakes, the flaws of your lines, and the resistance of the materials. The payoff is an imperfect and bold look and I think this goes well with the narrative tone I’m looking for in my work.
Thesis Exhibition
One of my favorite panels talks about how people in Mexico ended up helping narcos in their money laundering enterprises without even knowing. For the Thesis Exhibition, I wanted to bring this panel to life. I fabricated and hand-painted every element of the panel in a 3-D installation that accompanied the frames of the original artwork. The fabrication process was new for me–so it was a challenge–but it also was an opportunity to learn a whole new medium and apply it to my work.
