Eric Garcia Reflection Blog Post

 Eric Garcia's art style was very focused in lining and mimicked a newspaper-like comic style. Some of the 2D works he showed didn't have color, which led to his details being done with line art. Some of these drawings were shaded by hatching, some with filled in black, and/or a combination of both. He had few exceptions to this, such as the two drawings he showed that were done in a purple-ish ink that he made, but these drawings were still done in the same art style. Another exception he did was a Jesus drawing that didn't have the same art style nor his usual black-and-white pallet; the lining was thinner; the figure didn't have the usual shape he uses for his characters; and it had color. His Installations, on the other hand, still had his lining style (thick borders) but had color to them. These colors, though, were simple and just filled in the drawings. 

His inspirations being comic books and military experience was an interesting combination. For the comic book aspect, the main influences he mentioned were G.I Joe and Transformers. These military themes led him to enlist. Combining the fictional and realistic experiences with the military, he made sure that the importance of his art was in the message, which explains his simplistic style. He has a comic series called "El Machete Illustrated", which discusses politics, war, and the dangerous effects of government decisions through symbolism. For example, his comic-panel "Downwinders" shows a giant Uncle San blowing wind from a bomb to a house, and each guest of wind represent the generations that have passed.  This piece is meant to show how America knows about the damage that bombs have to surrounding areas, yet they continue to prioritize their arsenal instead of caring for its citizens. 

When his pieces aren't focused on military experiences, he focuses them on his identity as a Chicano. He feels that it's important to portray this identity in a historical manner, where each piece explains certain people and/or certain movements. He also ties in some religious aspect that's evident in the latino community. He intertwines his cultural identity, religious marker, and politics concerning immigration, the safety of the latino community, and government decisions.