Our fellow humans in Houston, Florida, Mexico, and the Caribbean Islands have been walloped by natural disaster in recent days — and they need our help. Earlier this month, I made available one of my much-coveted shadowbox assemblages and it sold within minutes of being posted. A portion of that sale will be going to benefit Mexican earthquake relief efforts in Oaxaca, where they were devastated by an 8.1 earthquake on September 7th.
Now, I’m parting with five of my cherished Loteria drawings to generate more donation money toward recovery endeavors. A portion of these purchases will be donated to the food bank or relief effort of the buyer’s choice. I’m partial to the Mexican relief efforts because they delivered personnel and supplies to the US when Hurricane Harvey roared through Houston, and the honorable thing to do as Americans is reciprocate. Mexico City is recovering from a horrific 7.1 disaster on September 19th and I want to do all I can to help them. That said, I have friends and family in Houston, and while I’ve already donated to the Harvey effort, I would be thrilled to see more relief funds sent directly to Houston’s food banks. And of course, Florida and the Caribbean Islanders deserve our continuing attention as well, in the wake of Hurricanes Irma and Maria.
Many of you are aware of my ongoing Loteria art series. I feel that these Loteria drawings are some of the most resonant I’ve done in my career to date. I’m 100% Mexican American, so every time I work on one of these — it’s PERSONAL. These visions are not just about me. They’re about my culture, our identity, and our dreams. There will be only be fifty-four of these final drawings when the series is completed, and several have previously sold immediately.
Here’s a guided tour of the five original works that are now available for the first time ever. Congratulations in advance to the lucky collectors that score one or more of these. I know many of you have been waiting for the chance to own one. Enjoy.
(above) EL CORAZON (The Heart) / Original Final Drawing
I almost talked myself out of posting this one for sale because it’s a favorite. Considering so many lives are struggling right now though, maybe it’s time for it to light the way for families living through a darkest hour. Many of you have been acquiring my limited-run Loteria Grande cards, and while ‘La Sirena’ and ‘La Calavera’ sold out the fastest, this card sold out soon after. It’s probably one of the most popular icons of my Loteria series so far.
Graphite on Strathmore 500 Bristol • 11″ x 18″ (drawing dimension) • 14″ x 21″ (full sheet dimension)
$5000 • Ships flat and unframed • Includes free shipping within the continental USA • Please add $75 for shipping outside the USA • 10% of purchase price will be donated to relief effort of buyer’s choice
To purchase, email john (at) johnpicacio (dot) com with the subject line, “El Corazon”. We’ll exchange emails and I’ll give the payment contact info so that we can finalize the transaction via Paypal. I’ll then donate to your favorite food bank or relief charity — and ship your artwork to you.
(above) LA ROSA (The Rose) / Original Final Drawing / SOLD
This is the first final drawing I ever did for my Loteria series — the one that started it all. It was inspired by a promotional artwork I did for San Francisco’s Borderlands Books, and I then redid the concept as the drawing you see here for ‘La Rosa’. This was the first artwork I completed after winning the 2012 Hugo Award for Best Professional Artist, and it set the course for my career ever since.
Graphite on Strathmore 500 Bristol • 11″ x 18″ (drawing dimension) • 14″ x 21″ (full sheet dimension)
$5000 • Ships flat and unframed • Includes free shipping within the continental USA • Please add $75 for shipping outside the USA • 10% of purchase price will be donated to relief effort of buyer’s choice
To purchase, email john (at) johnpicacio (dot) com with the subject line, “La Rosa”. We’ll exchange emails and I’ll give the payment contact info so that we can finalize the transaction via Paypal. I’ll then donate to your favorite food bank or relief charity — and ship your artwork to you.
(above) EL PESCADO (The Fish) / Original Final Drawing
This was the second final drawing completed for the Loteria series, and it’s a favorite of Pisces lovers everywhere. This one was a turning point for me because it represented a standard for not just sheer physical execution, but a pursuit of concept that needed to be pushed with every icon. Like ‘El Corazon’ above, I almost didn’t post this one for sale because I dearly love it, but seeing so many trying to keep their daily existences afloat — it just seems like the right moment.
Graphite on Strathmore 500 Bristol • 11″ x 18″ (drawing dimension) • 14″ x 21″ (full sheet dimension)
$5000 • Ships flat and unframed • Includes free shipping within the continental USA • Please add $75 for shipping outside the USA • 10% of purchase price will be donated to relief effort of buyer’s choice
To purchase, email john (at) johnpicacio (dot) com with the subject line, “El Pescado”. We’ll exchange emails and I’ll give the payment contact info so that we can finalize the transaction via Paypal. I’ll then donate to your favorite food bank or relief charity — and ship your artwork to you.
(above) EL PARAGUAS (The Umbrella) / Original Final Drawing / SOLD
This guy has lived in my dreams for as long as I can remember. He finally found shelter in our reality when I finished this drawing a few years ago. I feel like these images are messages from an ancestral past. They’re not all memories of what came before and where we’ve been, but glimpses of where we’re headed and what might lie ahead.
Graphite on Strathmore 500 Bristol • 11″ x 18″ (drawing dimension) • 14″ x 21″ (full sheet dimension)
$5000 • Ships flat and unframed • Includes free shipping within the continental USA • Please add $75 for shipping outside the USA • 10% of purchase price will be donated to relief effort of buyer’s choice
To purchase, email john (at) johnpicacio (dot) com with the subject line, “El Paraguas”. We’ll exchange emails and I’ll give the payment contact info so that we can finalize the transaction via Paypal. I’ll then donate to your favorite food bank or relief charity — and ship your artwork to you.
(above) EL NOPAL (The Cactus) / Original Final Drawing
This kid feels like a kindred spirit. I think we all feel like him at some point in our lives. I think some of us do on a daily basis. There’s a lot of angst and pain in this world of ours right now. So many have had their hard-earned worlds ripped away in a blink. What would we want if that was us? If this drawing finds a new home, then hopefully it can help someone else along the path to finding a new one for themselves.
Graphite on Strathmore 500 Bristol • 11″ x 18″ (drawing dimension) • 14″ x 21″ (full sheet dimension)
$5000 • Ships flat and unframed • Includes free shipping within the continental USA • Please add $75 for shipping outside the USA • 10% of purchase price will be donated to relief effort of buyer’s choice
To purchase, email john (at) johnpicacio (dot) com with the subject line, “El Nopal”. We’ll exchange emails and I’ll give the payment contact info so that we can finalize the transaction via Paypal. I’ll then donate to your favorite food bank or relief charity — and ship your artwork to you.