Mixed media works by artist and Cal State Fullerton alum Juan Gomez are currently on view in two Southern California exhibitions.
Don’t miss Gomez’s solo show, “Within the Chaparral,” at the Frank M. Doyle Arts Pavilion at Orange Coast College, which runs through Nov. 20. The other show is an intriguing four-person exhibition, “Crafting Tomorrow,” at L.A. Artcore gallery in downtown Los Angeles, closing Nov. 2. Both are free and open to the public.
Gomez is dedicated to his art practice and has been exhibiting his work for more than 14 years. He uses memories and family lineage as starting points. His early work was primarily drawing and painting. In more recent projects, the artist incorporates materials from everyday life, ranging from cinder blocks and playing cards to packing material. These materials add a layer of meaning. Color in lively hues and the textures of rope, twine and plastic ties also play important roles.
Other recent career highlights include Gomez’s solo installation “Demons and Better Angels,” from July 2025 at the Tryst Alternative Art Fair, produced by the Torrance Art Museum.
Gomez, along with Maribel Nuño Navarro, curated “Original Sources,” which showed in November 2024 at the Orange County Center for Contemporary Art. The exhibition featured 11 artists addressing their cultural heritage and ancestral influences through diverse media and methods.
In 2022, the artist had a solo exhibition, “Sangre Hermosa,” at the Kleefeld Contemporary Museum of Art at Cal State Long Beach, for which he created a whole new series, and he was awarded a California Arts Council Artist in Communities grant in 2019 for a project at Greenly Art Space, Long Beach.
To learn more about the artist and his work, visit his Instagram page and website.