Jacqueline Valenzuela is an East L.A born artist currently living in City Terrace while creating out of her studio in Whittier. She obtained her Drawing and Painting BFA from Cal State Long Beach. Jacqueline is a first-gen Mexican-American. Her greatest influences in the arts were her father who drew cartoons of his coworkers and family. As well as her older brother who was interested in realistic art. As a child she would dig through her older brothers’ sketchbooks and art supplies. Her creative interests were always nurtured by her immigrant parents.
Jacqueline had always been influenced by the subcultures that were common within her community. This ranged from the underground punk scene in East L.A. to the candied lowriders she saw cruising Whittier Blvd. on Sunday mornings. Eventually as an adult she would come to own her own lowrider, a 1975 Cadillac El Dorado. Upon becoming a lowrider owner, she became more aware of the lack of representation for women lowriders. Usually within this world women were seen merely as sexual objects to be placed near these beautiful cars.
This is when her work flourished as it began to magnify the important role women lowriders play. By focusing on women lowriders like herself she is able to bring their stories to a wider audience that would otherwise be unaware about women who cruise. Using bold colors, portraiture and the urban landscape she creates compositions that emphasize femininity in a male-dominated world. Her work combines the erasure of women lowriders with the murals that are commonly seen in Latinx communities that focus on religion and social issues. She has shown her work in various non-profits, artist-run spaces and galleries within the L.A. county. Most recently she has had a duo show at the artis run gallery, Flatline, in Long Beach. This show captured her love for the lowrider community as well as her intimate relationship with her partner who is a lowrider painter.
Photo by LA Reflections