Germs

Germs’ latest mixed media print, Purgatory Mary, (see above top) is a fine art giclee foundation with 4 silkscreen colors laid on top including a high gloss coating and 3 hand painted separations.

He is a genuinely positive and gifted artist who seems to be channeling the great spirits of surrealist predecessors, while simultaneously slapping our eyeballs in the face with his infamous allusions to the LA/Chicano culture. He is known for his Luchador masks brought to life by their protruding tentacles and floating amoebas that playfully flirt with their viewers’ imaginations. Each painting is admirable and a true labor of love.

Germs was born and raised in South Central LA amidst the violence and chaos of gang culture that left an indelible mark on him creatively. In his own words "I am Jaime Zacarias, the youngest of three. My two siblings have moved out of our house and left my father and me to live together in Los Angeles. My mother passed away a few years back and it has been a challenge to live without her because she was my guidance and the number one fan of my artwork. I was born and raised in south central Los Angeles' gang infested neighborhoods. I have seen lots of violence and drug abuse along with ignorance and many individuals who drop out of school. Los Angeles has presented me with good and bad experiences that have shaped my life and views. I continue to live in Los Angeles, with a supportive friend and my father."

"My artwork is truly spontaneous and unplanned. I trust my instincts and when I want to create something, the image appears. Because most of my work is unplanned, it is difficult to say when it is finished, so I go by feelings and instinct to guide me to a finished product. Since elements of my work include spontaneity and randomness, my finished product may be simple or insanely complicated. It is as if I do not think about what I am doing until I do it. My thought process and hand-to-paper process flow simultaneously. I use narrative imagery, graffiti art and found surfaces. I work in an audience-friendly style that allows the viewer to experience the piece."