~ From East Los ~

John C. Luna began a relationship with art at an early age in his hometown of East Los Angeles. He was a child faced with the horrors of growing up amidst violence, poverty, neglect all in a juxtaposition with a loving and tight knit working class family. Like many children in this position, John was required to develop a means of coping and his means became creating. As an adolescent, Luna absorbed the vivid influence of L.A.’s best graffiti writers and soon began practicing the craft himself. Throughout this ten year period, his artwork progressed into an innovative style in which he cultivated a three dimensional technique for typographical works. Elements of three dimensional design and distinctive architectural characteristics continue to influence and penetrate his work. Through the avenues of self-expression that the graffiti culture provided, Luna was able to communicate the essential importance of hope, creativity, and critical thought within a community. His work continued along this line of communication and revitalization as he moved onto mixed media and canvas works. The nature of his work continues to embody the fundamentals of graffiti art as it portrays the cultural and social concerns found within urban settings like East Los Angeles; a core aesthetical concern being a bold attempt to claim already existing objects, spaces, and images and grant them meaning and symbolism. In addition, the work has grown to reflect the historical significance of mid-century architecture and design specific to Southern California. Luna’s highly detailed works speak to the importance of understanding “the big picture” as they reflect the intricacies of the social climate and the interaction between human beings. Luna’s artwork tells us that everything and everyone has a function and purpose, the vibrant compositions mirroring a need for honesty, balance, cohesion, and integration. Currently, John C. Luna resides in Boyle Heights, California and continues to work on mixed media and canvas pieces. His influences are diverse and include elements of Cubism, graffiti/outsider art, contemporary Mexican art, art deco and mid-century design and architecture. Luna’s latest work deals with the fusion of traditional Mexican imagery and three dimensional design, surrealistic story-telling, and pop cultural iconography infused by cubism, architecture and third dementional Design.