LIVING THE DREAM THROUGHArt B

lanca Estrada started painting at the early age of four and hasn’t stopped ever since. Most recently, the artist known as ‘Bloo N Mac’ on social media, painted a mural at a Walmart in Northeast, El Paso, leaving a mark and her staple signature in the community.

Estrada, who used to be a Math teacher at Bowie High School, decided to leave teaching to pursue her lifetime passion for art as her full-time job in the fall of 2022 .

“I never thought it was going to be a career, but I started my little business doing painting classes and I paid off two of my student loans in two years doing the classes and a few markets, so it was really shocking to me that it was working so well,” Estrada said.

After dropping out of the Phoenix Art Institute and returning to El Paso, Estrada became a self-taught artist and says that through years of experiences and curiosity for exploring different mediums, she’s been able to create unique pieces that showcase the border community.

“If you notice, my art has a lot of realistic places, such as the Pokémon in El Paso series,” Estrada said. “The series started because I hated ‘La X’ from Juarez, so I came home trying to change my mind adding Pokémon’s to it, so it’s always been about adding a little magic to real life.”

For Estrada, discovering her own style as an artist was a personal journey that -- through trial and error -- led her to different projects and creative decisions. While some of her series have a lighter tone, Estrada also enjoys adding depth to her projects.

One of her popular series is ‘Desert Queen,’ a series of pieces that were born while resting in bed. On the other hand, her series ‘The Marionette,’ shows the emotional depth of the artist.

“The Marionette came up when I was in high school because my mom was very strict at the time. I felt, overall, controlled not only by her, but also by society,” Estrada said. “I felt I had to be a good girl and I felt like a puppet, I felt really trapped.”

Estrada’s work ranges from fine art to cartoons and art inspired by films. Such is the case of some pieces from her catalog that showcase the characters of Deadpool and Homelander having a confrontation, pieces that are more than welcomed at events such as Comic-Con.

This year the local artist will showcase her work in 18 Comic-Con events, taking her El Paso inspired art to other cities across the country.

At these events, the artist not only showcases her prints and artwork, but also sells colorinCMg books of her own work, stickers, and postal cards that have become popular among audiences.

Throughout her years in the craft, Estrada reflects on her passion not just for art, but also for her local community. According to the artist, since the community has welcomed her with open arms, it is through her art that she is able to give back to her hometown.

“There are a lot of places that have asked me to put my art there; they sell for me and they give me a little commission. I’m just so grateful,” Estrada said. “I grab fan art, and then make it more relatable, like the Pokémon in El Paso. Now that I started traveling to other towns, people were like ‘We don’t know, El Paso, but we’ll buy it because it’s cool.’ So for me, it’s about showcasing our community because I’m very proud of our hometown.”

During the month of May, Estrada will be showcasing some of the pieces from her Frida Kahlo Collection, which is about showcasing Kahlo through her own perspective and vision. The art pieces will be at Casa Ortiz and Estrada will also hold some events at Bodega Loya throughout the month of May.