Work These Days is
a presentation of two current bodies of work; Pieces of the City and WhataMachines. The series Pieces of the City is made up of paintings and drawings on concrete
fragments that reflect sentiments of construction, the working class, and
current events. In his WhataMachines, Raul uses screen printing
as a tool to create multiple hand-rendered painting-drawing
combinations that form a connection between Texas, Whataburger, and
construction.
“While my work
remains diversified in subject and style, I find it very important to continually
use construction and work as a muse for discussing social issues, representing
the working class, and finding beauty in the constant creation that is a part
of construction. It becomes a symbol for
growth, opportunity, struggle, and can be found in every civilization.
Construction became a part of my studio art practice in 2009
when I started a public art project called Work
Harder|Hope Still Ahead. The body of
work used construction, road sign paintings, and stickers as ways of
communicating and redefining ideas about work and the working class.”
top three photos courtesy Luis Garza Photography
bottom three photos courtesy the artist