The struggle between art and reality in Venezuela.

I live in Venezuela, a country where political priorities often seem to overshadow opportunities for art and creativity, I am a graffiti artist and public employee in the area of painting, my work does not always reflect my passion for art but the limitations that the economy and the social situation impose.

The lack of resources and money makes it very difficult for me and for many street artists to sustain themselves economically since this crisis not only affects the pocket, but also the access to materials and spaces to express themselves freely.

My story is the story of many people who wish to contribute with their creativity, but who must struggle day by day to survive. However, I believe that art can be a force for change, but in our context, livelihood and opportunities still seem far away.

I want to leave this message for those who also feel that frustration: hope and perseverance are key even if the road is difficult, we must not stop dreaming and keep creating because art has the power to transform lives and consciousness.

With this in mind I want to share with you one of my last drawings made on an old and broken skateboard that I found in my room yesterday I was having a lot of problems that I could not solve and usually these problems are to bring food to the home which is something basic and totally necessary and at the same time it is very frustrating when we can't solve this and when we can't get the food we need. I go out on the street every day looking for work and even though I am a public employee my obligations consume most of my time for a minimum wage which barely manages to support three or four days of food for a month of work.

Surely when you read this you will wonder why I am still in that job, because the unemployment rate and the opportunities here in this town are scarce, too scarce so many people survive by recycling and full time jobs, getting a full time job is something very complicated but I hope soon to get a job opportunity with which I can solve some important aspects in my life.

Going back to the painting theme here I used cold paints on wood, also some markers and a little spray paint.

The designs are totally original and free I didn't have any pattern just let the brush flow over the wood.

As you can see this is my style when painting I like the designs let's say in free style where sometimes it is not simply that we want to carry a message sometimes with distracting our thoughts while we make these paintings or it is enough I know that there are very different techniques when it comes to this but this is how I use markers and cold paints.