Leonardo Gutiérrez, age 19, was born and raised in Pegueros, a small town in the state of Jalisco, Mexico. Though he was always drawn to the arts, he didn’t begin painting until the age of seventeen, after taking foundational classes at a local community arts center. After spending five years apart from his father, Leonardo recently relocated to Comfort, Texas to reunite with him and continue working and pursuing his creative journey. I am a traditional artist, working primarily with oils and acrylics. Painting allows me to express feelings, emotions, and ideas that I can't express any other way. My greatest influence is the 20th century Mexican painter, Gerardo Murillo, also known as “Dr. Atl,” and that inspiration is clear in the way I create landscapes and depict the natural world. His influence lives in my brushstrokes, in how I see and share nature through my work.– Leonardo Gutiérrez