She never stopped fighting for her dreams, and now the Mexican-born artist who went on to sell tacos in East Los Angeles with her mom has become an internationally recognized muralist.
“Sand One”, his artistic name, has murals in Tokyo, Latin America, Ibiza, and different states of the country. And now that she has achieved success and received so much support, she wants to give back to the community and she is doing so by creating an art school for children.
“Sand One” is the artist of the famous dolls that are embodied in businesses, street carts, handbags and clothing throughout the state and country.
Her artistic hallmark is the extravagant eyelashes on curvaceous, Latina dolls, with great gestures and personalities.
“I have murals in Japan, Mexico, Guatemala, Puerto Rico, Ibiza. I have different dolls all over the world”, said the artist.
But for “Sand One,” things haven’t come on a “silver platter,” growing up in East Los Angeles, with his single mother, working lunchboxes.
“We don’t back down. We started making tacos, selling vegan dough quesadillas. We got ahead, and from there we started”, said María, mother of “Sand One”.
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“Sand One” said that despite her mother’s long working hours, she always supported her curiosity about art.
We have cooked to survive on the streets of Los Angeles, but I always liked to draw, so I helped him with the meat, chop the vegetables, onions, but I wanted to draw,” said “Sand One”.
And it turns out that selling tacos, together with his mother, would give him the necessary tools to start his own brand as an artist. Today the artist is preparing for a new stage, by opening an art school for children aged 10-18 interested in learning to create.
“Here in my warehouse, in Cudahy, California, where the children can come to learn how to paint murals, I will give them everything. They just come to paint. I don’t want their colorful imagination to die,” said “Sand One.”
“Sand One” and his mother are an inspiration, showing that the horizons for the community are endless and limitless.
“You have to let them (the children) be what they want to be, you can’t force them to study, to reach a goal if they want to, but there are (you have to make them understand that there are) other doors ready to open for them,” said the mother of “Sand One.”
The application to be part of the art school “Sand One” begins on June 18. Enter to sandoner.com for more information.
