Artist Spotlight: Chuco Chamuco

Using the name Chuco Chamuco, Rodriguez has taken his art to new heights, introducing new audiences to the borderland’s art scene.

Rodriguez is no stranger to the cartoon worlds he explores in his work. He began drawing cartoons as a child. He graduated from Ysleta High School in 1995 and stopped drawing. In the early 2000s he joined the Army.

“About 17 years later, I picked up the pencil,” Rodriguez said.

“There was a concussion, a few injuries, a few things I needed to work through. One of the things I ended up doing is reverting back to things that made me happy. People knew me as the guy who drew in high school.”

Rodriguez uses dry mediums in his work, mostly colored pencil and sometimes pastels.

“I really go hard on the colored pencil. A lot of that frustration I had back then, I’d just cake it on there,” Rodriguez said. “The style stayed that way.”

He’s drawn to the cartoon style because of the way it speaks to all generations, he said. People young and old can recognize the characters in his work.

The characters Rodriguez hand draws in his vibrant pieces are not static, either.

They’re all doing something within the piece that adds up to a larger story for the viewer to explore.

“Now I want to tell stories with the pieces I make,” Rodriguez said. “Last year I had some life-changing events. I wanted to put a little more detail in the pieces. When you look at the piece, it has a story. Each character is doing its own thing, reflective, and giving it a meaty story.”

Rodriguez turned his eye toward El Paso as a subject for his art. The colorful pieces are full of recognizable spots, including the Tap, Downtown buildings, iconic borderland mascots and more.

He said he also likes that his pieces can bring up fond memories for other El Pasoans, and said his works are homages to the unique people and personalities found in the city.

“I wanted to share those feelings and have people remember these places that aren’t really forgotten, but don’t really exist anymore,” Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez works as a Fort Bliss lab technician during his day job. His art can be found at the Mesa and Downtown locations of the Pizza Joint, and at his website, chucochamuco.com.

He will also be selling prints and artwork at the El Paso Comic Con, April 21-23.

And, about that name. Rodriguez said Google brought up millions of “Gabriel Rodriguezes” and he said he knew he needed an alias.

“Chuco is for El Chuco. And Chamuco, everyone called me a little devil,” Rodriguez said. “It’s perfect.”