El gato gomez biography
Catnip for Connoisseurs
It’s every artist’s dream: fame, a degree of fortune, the chance to follow in the footsteps of idols.
But how few attain it!
Consider the story of one young artist, who shall be nameless. An art school dropout, she found herself married, with one son and another on the way, making a living trolling estate sales and live auctions to buy, and then sell, mid-century modern furnishings.
It was fun and profitable—but it wasn’t art. Plus, it was physically demanding work.
“I was pregnant,” says the artist who, like Catwoman, jealously safeguards her secret identity. “I didn’t want to schlep around teak dining tables.”
Art to the rescue?
Something like that.
“I saw a vintage painting that I liked on eBay,” she says. “It was of an elongated black cat. I fell in love with it, but I couldn’t afford it. So I decided to paint one for myself, and it came out so well I kept painting and painting and painting them.”
Not only did our heroine adopt the name of her feline subject—‘El Gato Gomez’—she prospered through her invention.
“It started working immediately,” El Gato says of her sudden, shocking success. “I put my first painting on eBay, and it sold really high. Then I put another, and another—and they just kept going higher and higher.”
El Gato and her husband and business partner—Mr. Gato, she calls him—immediately dropped mid-century modern furnishings for mid-century modern-inspired art.
What has poured since from her brushes and colored pencils is astounding—“retro futurism,” she calls it—flying cars piloted by robots, fancy dames in sleek gowns, houses with Eichler-like glass walls and Palm Springs-styled butterfly roofs, flying saucers, Cadillacs with tail fins, abstractions and quasi-abstractions, tiki heads, aqua-people, and much, much more
I recently came across this amazing artist via Facebook (of course). Her name is Crystal but she goes by the artist name El Gato Gomez. Her retro inspired designs definitely caught my eye. She has such a flair for mid century style art. I became a fan of hers on Facebook and started following her artwork.
A week later, I went to my friend Lewis and Naoko's house and to my surprise, they had an El Gato Gomez painting displayed on their living room wall! At first glance I knew it was her work right away! I said to Lewis, "That's a painting by El Gato Gomez, isn't it?". He was impressed I knew her work.
| Naoko and Gidget |
Lewis had commissioned Gato to paint a portrait of his wife Naoko and her sweet kitty Gidget.
Lewis explained, "I wanted to get my wife something special for her birthday this year and she is notoriously hard to shop for. She loves two things: Money and Gidget (she loves me also, but I'm pretty sure those are her top top on the list). So, Ms. Gato comes into the story when I saw a friend of mine showing off some new artwork on FB. We are both artists and share the same taste in mid-century pop art and was like WOW! THIS STUFF ROCKS!
Then when I started following her on Facebook. I was amazed at her output of work! Not to mention the price range made actually owning a piece I would spend money on (I never buy art) VERY affordable for someone who is only working part-time.
SO, the idea popped into my head of getting her to paint Gidget and Naoko for her birthday present.
I emailed her a few photos of Gidget and Naoko and told told her what I was thinking of in my head and within a month she made it happen. Everybody, and I mean EVERYBODY loves that painting and it's something I will treasure for years to come."
I just had to interview El Gato Gomez for my blog. She was kind enough to answer a few questions.
Populuxe:Where are you from and what are your influences?
Gomez:I am
Interview by Julie Ann Davis, appears in AUXILIARY magazine's fall 2020 issue.
El Gato Gomez has a style all her own that harkens back to stylized Mid Century Modern artwork, sure to fire up your imagination! You may have even seen an El Gato Gomez in your travels because they can be found in the coolest of establishments. They are sure to put a smile on your face, so let’s find out more about the artist! .
I'm a big fan. I think I have an El Gato Gomez in every room in my house except the kitchen because we only have one small wall... and in our basement!
You guys have been with me forever. I feel like you are family. There are people on Facebook whose faces (and sometimes asses, not yours) I see more than my own kids some days.
You have always felt like family to me too! So often times I’ll be chatting with friends and I see your artwork the next day and it’s what we were just talking about! I’ve always felt that you’re in-tune with the world and kitsch.
You are a very prolific painter with extensive knowledge of the Mid Century Modern aesthetic. What is your painting background? Do you have a fine arts degree? What attracts you to the modern art style? Are there modern or contemporary artists you admire?
I have always been enamored with Mid Century imagery. It was a time of such optimism and opportunity and that was reflected in the emerging modernist style. Everything was shiny and new and the future was full of great possibilities. Society, at that point, was making choices about who we wanted to be and doors were opening, people were changing their ideas. People were fighting for freedom from racism and gender discrimination, changing their minds about many things. Artists and designers were challenging norms and pushing boundaries. It was not exactly a time of true freedom and insight, but it was a time where it seemed like we could make the decision to be open to new ideas and make a brighter future for all of us. With jet packs!
Of cours