Berni is an artist who was born in Chile but grew up in San Jose, California. Inspired by her love for the outdoors and wildlife, she incorporates plants and animals into most of her pieces, capturing their vibrant colors and intricate patterns. Her creative outlets include drawing, graphic design and clay work.
Corbrae Smith is a local artist and art teacher in the San Francisco Bay Area. San Jose was not only were he got his very first art instructor position at Rocketship Academy, but also where he painted his first mural. San Jose has many life changing firsts for me and will always will be near and dear to his heart.
Luis Guardado is a graphic designer, self-taught illustrator, mixed media artist and musician. Guardado finds inspiration for his work through his experiences; as the son of immigrant parents, growing up around gangs, his active involvement in the local punk/hardcore/metal scene as both a musician and artist, sparked his general love for curiosity for music and art, and pondering from the human experience.
Julie Dang is a mild-mannered professional by day, and friendly neighborhood artist by night. A self-taught artist born and raised in San Jose, she strives to use art as a habitat for herself and others to be authentic, curious, and connected. By tinkering with quirky, surreal imagery that draws from influences of her Vietnamese heritage and the experiences that shaped her worldview, she aspires to add her voice in support of Southeast Asian equity and inclusion in the arts and advocacy for POC representation in the mental health space. When she’s not pondering and doodling, Julie keeps herself busy traveling, learning new recipes, enjoying the luxury recliner movie experience, and watching competitive cooking shows.
Arely was born and raised in San Jose, California into a conservative, immigrant, Spanish-speaking Mexican family. As a young child, Arely loved getting stickers from the 50 cent machines throughout the different stores in on San Jose’s East Side and would keep notebook paper around the house to practice copying animated Chicano images. In 2019 when she started her small business, she embarked on a journey to find out more about her ancestral roots in Mexico. She became inspired to paint portraits that embodied her idols, female Mexican elders and social leaders in our San Jose communities. After the pandemic, Arely started vending prints and stickers of her original artwork for South her my community as a vendor has allowed her to be more open as a person, especially as a queer creative. For the last three years, Arely have been an active participant of the SV Pride Committee as their Art Curator where she host a live painting event where queer and queer ally artists from all over the Bay Area come together to paint live for our LGBTQAI+ families and friends. It is fulfilling to not only witness artists create together but form lasting friendships because of this experience.
