Happy Holidays

Well, there’s no sense in trying to give another apology for not updating the blog, it’s been far too long since the last entry. All I can say is do not fret, (really is anyone fretting?). Here’s the deal, Angel and I have not abandoned or given up the on the Café. Actually, we’ve been busy, working daily on the Café, researching, planning and writing up plans for the future. Due to the tremendous response we’ve received since we launched BF Café, Angel and I decided to take a step back and develop a plan that will enable us to grow and offer everything you expect in a web site that best represents Latin culture. At this point, I kindly ask for your patience until we get our plans in motion.

Before I sign off let me also mention:
CONGRATULATIONS to Wendy Rodriguez, a fellow bullfighter! She won the Pah-Fest short film for Hollywood. See the film at http://www.pahnation.com. Go to Mobiflicks, then find the short film titled “Home Depot”. Good job Wendy!

Latina Fine Artist Wanted! We are looking for Latina artists for both our virtual gallery and for a project that may prove to be great exposure. Send us a link to your web site or samples of your work. Details of the project to come soon but we need your name now!

In my last entry I said we were going to open a store, well after Angel bought and received a shirt from our vendor we put a hold on the store. Cheap ain’t going to cut it! Until we find a vendor that offers quality shirts, we’ll wait to open shop.

Have a joyous and safe holiday season my friends!

With gratitude,
Pablo Martinez

Store or bust

I know, I know… What’s the point of keeping a blog if I’m not going to update it on a regular basis! To be honest, the happenings behind the Café doors have not been very exciting. Really the biggest thing Angel and I have been doing is survive on pennies and dimes. Like everyone else, bills have become a big time pain in the ass for us. The fact is we are broke. Bone dry. We are about one month away from pushing our computer in a shopping cart with a sign reading, “Will work for electricity!”

Having to pay bills while staying true as an artist, is what Bullfighter’s Café is about, but honestly, it’s not fun writing about money problems. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not as if we are down on our luck on hard times. Luckily Angel and I have skill sets in an industry where we can find a job fairly easy, but the trouble is, we have become passionate about the Café and we don’t want to leave. After meeting so many tremendous people through the Café we have become hooked and want to continue building the Café to its full potential.

I mention this because, very soon, we are going to open up an online store to start selling T-shirts and other items. We are also looking into other money making ventures to help us keep the Café open, but more importantly, we’d like to start eating again - I’m starting to lose my sexy curves! Seriously, after a year of investing in the Café we can no longer fund the Café ourselves but before we close the doors we want to try everything we can to keep bringing Latino creativity to you, because we’ve only scratched the surface of what Latinos have to offer. We hope we can count on your continued support, so please visit the store and let us know what you think.

If you aren’t able to purchase anything from the store, then could you do us a favor? Could you run out an extension cord from your house and let us borrow some electricity for our computers? As Angel and I walk the streets it will be nice to get online once in awhile and check our email.

With gratitude,
Pablo

Since it's the early worm that gets eaten by the bird, sleep late!

What Is the Function of Art?

In Magu’s, In Studio interview you hear him ask the question, “What is the function of art?”. It is a good question. It’s definitely appropriate for this month’s featured artists.

First you should know that Angel primarily gets the new artist features and I usually don’t see them until it’s time to upload them. Well, after seeing Glenn’s and The Welfare Poets’ features, I told Angel that I was going to direct all the heated feedback to her (I’m kidding, please don’t, I’ll get a butt whoopin’ for it). After all, it’s said to never talk about religion and politics, but here are two artists that do just that!

Angel and I have talked endlessly on how we should handle controversial material. In fact, we had to figure this out quickly in our first few days of going live with this site. Angel had received a very hard line, pro-Latino interview, while I had an artist refuse to participate in our site for fear of being labeled as a Latino artist. They were very opposing views and we wanted to feature both of them, but we felt we were neither hard line nor a non-ethnic web site. As result, Angel and I decided that our position should remain open to all views and provide an unbiased platform for artists to express themselves. Of course there are professional and aesthetic criteria that help us determine who we feature but for the most part, our aim is to promote Latino art in all it’s magnificent shades of brown.

So what’s the answer to, “What is the function of art?”. Well, since Magu asked the question I’ll give an answer that is implied in his interview. Art is suppose to connect with people’s emotions. For this reason, we showcase artwork, written interviews and videos that let artists tell you the intention of their work. It may be political, cultural, commercial, personal, or perhaps it’s a combination of all four. It may be controversial or casual too.

Now if Glenn Stwart's short film or The Welfare Poets work shock, surprise, anger, disgust, inform or amuse you, then perhaps the artwork served its purpose. After all art is not always about pretty flowers or sunsets over the ocean horizon. Sometimes it’s about getting your attention and being thought provoking!


With gratitude,
Pablo

Art above is described as “functional art” or “art furniture” and is by Joseph Somers

Where has the time gone?

Wow. Where did the time go? The last thing I remember is getting on the 405 freeway in Los Angeles. See that’s a joke, cause it’s been more than a month since my last entry and the freeway is slow moving... okay I know, I’m no comedian.

So where do I start? First, I should mention that grandmother is good and still chewing spikes and body slamming the grandkids. However, one of my aunts unexpectedly passed away and then one of my uncles got married. I’ve seen more of my family in the last month than I’ve seen in the last five years. I didn’t recognize half of my cousins; they’ve gotten bigger, grayer and have more kids. I didn’t even know some were old enough to make kids! After all the time that has past, my family is still crazy, funny and sometimes irritating. My family, I love them.

Here in the café things are getting exciting for Angel and myself. Although, the café appears to be quiet, Angel and I have been talking to people behind the scenes that we believe will help us take the café to the next level. In the next month or two I hope to give you more details on our plans but for the time being, I’m posting a few photos of art shows I went to or were sent to us by artists.

Be sure to check back soon for our next artist feature updates. Until then, call a family member, say hello and catch up on family news. You may have new baby cousins taking your grandma to the matt!

Photos are of shows by Albert Reyes, Magu Lujan and El Fantom.

as always,
pablo

Weeping Woman

Things have been tough these past few weeks. Last week the tragedy at Virginia was unbelievable. I tried to break away from the media saturation of the killings but I couldn’t help myself, I read every article I came across on the Internet. I’m not sure why I felt as if I needed to know more than the fact that thirty-three people died unnecessarily.

Then a few days ago, I received an email about how America has always had a history of tragic killings. The email described the killing of 350 Native Americans by the U.S. Cavalry. After giving a brief explanation of the slaughter at Wounded Knee Creek, the author of the original email then stated, “My intention is not to downplay the horror of what has happened this week in any way. But we have a 500-year history of mass shootings on American soil, and let's not forget it.” It’s a somber thought to think of how many people have died by evil motivations.

In addition to these readings, my grandmother has become ill and is not expected to live much longer. Needless to say I feel as if a dark cloud has drifted over my head. Death is a sad part of life, probably more so for the living. I know I’m going to miss my grandmother when she passes but I take comfort knowing that she has lived a long life and given me some wonderful memories. My best memory is of Christmas celebrations when our whole family would gather at my grandparent’s house. There were presents, laughter, food and toys from wall to wall. When I was a child, my Grandfather used to wink and hesitate to prolong my anticipation, before handing me a big, shiny Christmas present. I’ve forgotten what the presents were but I’ll never forget those times. I’m grateful for these memories, but it is a shame that the families of the slain students will not be able to experience these types of special moments. Everyone should have these memories in their heart; it gives life meaning!

I have to admit that I struggled to write this entry. At first I wanted to ask questions and respond with respect to these events, but I realized I don’t have the insight or wisdom to understand the meaning of these deaths. The only thing I can do is refer to what inspires me and expresses my emotions – and that is art! Above is a painting by Pablo Picasso and the painting says it all for me.

With gratitude,
pablo

Back on Track… again!

Yes, the Locamotion is back on track! It’s been a stressful experience but we are happy that “LocaMotion Derailed” is rolling online for Loca fans to enjoy. As you may have noticed from my previous post or the first day we launched the LocaMotion, the show didn’t go on as planned, which almost put Angel and myself in a padded room! After weeks of testing and retesting it was extremely disappointing to see the launch of the movie crash on the first day. I’ll spare you the details of what went wrong; actually I just can’t bear to relive that day. However, I do want to do a little cleanup after the wreckage and let you know that all was not lost in the experience.

After walking around in a daze the last couple of days, things don’t look so bad now. Now that we’ve been able to get the film online for free we don’t feel as if we’ve lost any ground on the project. Our goal has always been to grow the café into a full multimedia experience and I believe our first project with Stevie is a step in the right direction to make this happen. We learned from this project and we look forward to many crashes in the future, after all that’s how we roll, or try to roll!

Another thing I want clear up is on one of my previous entries, I said that we were going to have a feature on Valsartdiary, but you may have notice there’s no feature on Val. Well, as best as we try, we send out interview requests, most come through and a few don’t. We understand that artists are busy so we don’t hold any grudges; we can only promise that as soon as Val sends us her article we’ll post it. However, to replace Val’s article, I hope you read the article from El Fatom, the artist that created the cover art for Rage Against the Machine’s, “Battle of Los Angeles”. He also art directed the band’s video Bulls on Parade video, that’s in the screening room. We have been talking to El Fatom extensively and there may be collaboration between us in the future. For now I just want to thank El Fatom for coming through for us at the last moment.

Until next time, please watch and enjoy LocaMotion Derailed. God knows we paid for this one with blood, sweat and tears, …and we’d do all over again in a heartbeat!

With gratitude,
pablo

LocaMotion Derailed Again!

Well, as some of you may know we attempted to bring the LocaMotion film short to the café, but it didn’t happen. On behalf of Angel and myself we apologize to those who came to the café, and paid for a ticket, anticipating seeing the film short. Believe me, we are as disappointed as you that we couldn’t get the show on track. We do want to let you that we are making other attempts to bring the film back online as soon as possible.

Once we find another solution we’ll be sure to let you know or I’ll post more on our progress in this blog. I’ll also let you know what went wrong in the first place. I don’t want to say anything now because our service provider has some explaining to do. Until then thanks for all your support and patience!

With gratitude,
Pablo

The Blues of Being an Artist

I saw this video the other day and I just had to share it. While Bullfighter's Cafe is a Latino site, Angel and I are fans of all artistic endeavors by all people and I felt like this video deserved attention here in a corner of the Cafe. I don't want to say too much, but sometimes the call to be an artist is stronger than anything else in life.

I hope you enjoy the video.

pablo

This Month's Update

When I hijacked this blog from Angel I thought it would be interesting to talk about our current projects. For the past few months I have failed to mention our monthly updates but this month, we are excited about two fine artist interviews that we think you will find very interesting.

Ramon Ramirez is an artist that is influenced by architecture and composes his paintings with unique color combinations and brush texture. A sample of Ramon’s painting is above and is titled, “Totem The Dogs of War”. Our second artist that we plan to feature is Valsartdiary. We found her on YouTube where she shows video shorts on her painting process and concepts. You can see a video of her in our Screening Theater. We think you’ll find both of these artists very informative and unique in their approach to art. Be sure to read about them in our next update.

On a personal level, I told Angel that I had a story that I want to produce as a documentary. When I told her that since 1997 when my uncle was awarded the Silver Star for his actions in the Vietnam War there has been support from many people, including a congressman, for my Uncle to receive the Medal of Honor. It’s the highest award for valor in action against an enemy force. Today I started the project by collecting reports and letters that describe my Uncle's act of bravery. In the coming my months I’ll let you know how the project is progressing.

Thanks for your interest,
Pablo

Anonymously asked…

I see we received a little activity in the comment section on my previous entry. An anonymous person posted a reply. Angel reciprocated, but since I’ve been posting on Loca I thought I would directly reply here this one time. See the comment section for Anonymous' full comment.

(anonymous) “Yes lets all bring “Blackface” Back too –
(pablo) I have to admit I don’t fully understand this reference to Loca. I would understand it better if Stevie applied brown paint to her face and posted her video in color, then repressed Latinas from posting their own videos. In that scenario then yes it would be offensive. However, she doesn’t do that, so we may just have to agree to disagree on this point.

(anonymous) “Everyone has their own click” –
(pablo) Yes I admit I belong to a “click”. My click is filled with artists, filmmakers, writers and performers of all colors and ethnicities. In my Latino click, I’ve meet dozens of great fine artists here in LA, but through Bullfighter’s Café I’m meeting artists from New York, Chicago, Texas, San Diego and every month my click is growing! Although I have to say there is one person that I am dedicated to, and consider a mentor. His presence is evident throughout the Café and if you want to know about this person then read Mr. Magu’s Quest. Be sure to visit mentalmenduo.org and read the mission statement too. It’s a statement I take to heart.

(anonymous) How does Stevie Ryan elevate the Latino people? –
(pablo) For the sake of brievity let me address this question as a businessman as there are many reasons. Simply, LittleLoca is controversial. Controversy sells and brings attention! Controversy is a numbers game and we need numbers. It is a fact that Loca/Stevie brings more traffic to the café than all the Latin artists combined in the café. I need these numbers so I can go to advertisers and sponsors for revenue. I need revenue to pay the bills for the server, software and living costs that are currently coming out of Angels’ and my pocket. I need revenue to hire journalists, designers, animators, photographers and filmmakers that will help me build this site into a real life cafe. As many local cultural centers are closing or struggling to find funding through grants, contributions and community support, it is Angel’s and my dream that this café become a self-reliant cultural center through our commercial efforts. Will Loca alone do all this for us? No, but it’s a start. She is just one brick, of many to come, in the long road that will pave the way to our goal.

Are there Latin artists that might bring as much traffic to our site? Yes, I hope so. We have sent out invitations to artists that we hope will generate interest and we hope to bring them to the cafe as soon as possible.

As far as elevating the Latino people, we have no delusion that Stevie or us are the saviors of Latin people. Latin people are intelligent and passionate enough to elevate themselves, we just want to build and provide an additional platform (cultural center) where they can express and display their diverse ideas. Case in point is Liza Orozco, you can read about her in the art lounge.

(anonymous) “I won’t call you sellouts” –
(pablo) You can call me anything you want because it doesn’t have any effect on my self worth. I only used the term as a means to address the issue and my position on my art. In fact, I really have no animosity towards you for the label and in truth, I appreciate your passion for Latin culture. Again I’m glad to answer your questions, because I hope it shows that there is a grand plan here. If you don’t like Loca or us then that’s fine with me. However, if you do support your culture or “real” Latina’s like Nadia Rowinsky then I hope you show it by rating her film in on theLot.com or support Christina Soto by voting for her film at the Berkeley film festival or support any other artist by purchasing their artwork. If I can get you to act on your passion then my mission is accomplished; my art, my design of the Bullfighter’s café has brought a supporter to a fellow artist and that means more to me than any negative or positive label I’m given.

(anonymous) “What is the message?” –
(pablo) Again, this is a question that I’ve tried to address in these blogs but the problem is that there is a no single answer, even Angel and I see things differently on Loca. In fact, I believe Loca brings up more questions than answers and that’s what makes it art. Loca makes us question our own beliefs, perceptions and ideals. Personally I’ve questioned my belief that I had to work twice as hard to overcome the negative reputation of the cholo subculture and my hatred for that reputation that seemed to be associated to all Chicanos. It wasn’t until I examined Loca that I realized that I resented my cousins - my family for their participation in the cholo culture! I have since come to realize that I shouldn’t resent the cholo; I should hate the conditions that enabled the cholo to exist. I should hate the lack of education, job opportunities and drugs that exists in the Latin community. You may see this a stretch but like I said, ultimately the single message is for you to personally formulate.


(anonymous) …we need a white woman to explain to Cholas "The WAY to BE?" –
(pablo) I think this question is backwards, Stevie’s intent is not to teach Latina’s, rather she is exhibiting what Cholas taught her. If you read her article in the café, she says she admired the strength of her friends. She admired their beauty. Unfortunately, what is not in the article or her video blogs are additional stories she told me about her experiences living next door and being close friends with Chicano families. Basically, Loca is a reflection of her experiences. Loca is homage to her friends that helped her get through difficult times in her youth. Loca is a tribute to her best friends (note: Her chola friend did receive a BA degree, and that’s what influenced Loca to go to college).

Believe it or not I had reservations on supporting Stevie/Loca until I asked Stevie one question. I asked Stevie, “What do your chola friends think of Loca?” She said that they loved it and to keep doing it.

Now for me, Stevie’s motivation and the blessing from her friends showed me that there was an understanding between friends, between two cultures and between two ethnicities and between women. Shockingly to myself, Stevie didn’t see Cholas as I saw them. Stevie saw beauty through her friendship with them! And likewise, Stevie’s friends saw Stevie as one of their own. They didn’t see Stevie as a white girl pretending to be one of them, rather she was accepted as a sister. They saw that Stevie had assimilated into their culture by emulating their dress and speech. They understood that Loca was not a spoof because Stevie lived their culture by growing up alongside with them in their home.

Again, this made me question my own belief that the cholo subculture should be despised. After all, here is a white woman that finds beauty in Cholas. If an “outsider “ can find beauty in chola culture then how can I resent my own. How can I resent my family? Needless to say I’ve promised myself that I am not going to hate any longer especially those from my own ethnicity, no matter of social standing. Yes, there may be traits in the chola culture that can be described as abrasive and undesirable but every person has faults. Finding beauty in perfection is easy but finding beauty in imperfection is an act of will.

(anonymous) “How can you defend Little Loca?” –
(pablo) I support Stevie/Loca because she found beauty, strength and friendship in those I only saw as outcasts. She reminds me that beauty can be found and should be found in everybody; even those that we may think don’t deserve it.

You, the reader, may still disagree with Stevie and our decision to back her, I only ask that you look at the big picture and see that Stevie is just one artist we support. In the café we currently have 25 Latin artists that we showcase but many, many more are to come. I’m sure they would appreciate your support for their efforts. Also if there is a Latina (Chola or not) talent that we should support then by all means let us know, we would be happy to meet her.

Thank you for the opportunity.
Pablo

Every negative event contains within it the seed
of an equal or greater benefit-- Napoleon Hill

In Search of the Latina Goddess: Part 1

I’ve received a few emails touching on an issue that I thought would make for an interesting series of entries. The issue can be summed up with one statement, “Loca is not a role model”. Before I address this issue I thought it would be interesting to see if I could find the ideal Latina role model on public television. Being that I’m limited to a blog entry, I narrowed the experiment to characters and not actresses, after all LittleLoca is a character too.

Here’s what I found:

A. From “My Name is Earl”, Catalina is an illegal immigrant, that works as a maid for a cheap motel. In this photo, she’s working as an exotic dancer. Summation; Catalina is the hot sex vixen. Show producers are Greg Garcia, Marc Buckland and Bobby Bowman.

B. From “Desperate Housewives”, Gabriella Solis is a divorced, self-centered, adulterer. Summation; Gabriella is the hot sex vixen. The show creator is Marc Cherry.

C. From “Ugly Betty”, Betty Suarez, is a sweet, intelligent and hard-working assistant. Summation; Betty is the oversized peg in the petite round hole in the fashion industry. The show creators are Salma Hayek, Silvio Horta, Ben Silverman, Jose Tamez, James Haymanand and Marco Pennette.

D. From “Grey’s Anatomy”, Callie Torres is an orthopedic doctor. Summation; Callie is passionate, intelligent and dedicated to her profession. The show creator is Shonda Rhimes.

E. From “American Family”. I believe the show it is no longer on air.

F. From “George Lopez Show” the females are as follows: Benny, George’s mother, is a loud mouth, obnoxious mother that drinks, smoke and curses. Angie Lopez is a bit of a bubblehead and dresses in tight clothing. Show creators are Bruce Helford, Deborah Oppenheimer, Robert Borden and Sandra Bullock.

After going through the list, based on the criteria that is placed on the Loca character, all these Latina characters, except for one, should be rejected and banished by the Latin community. Here are the guidlines I gathered from Loca detractors and applied it the characters listed above. 1. The character must be portrayed by a Latina actress or created by a Latina. 2. The character should have no faults or negative behavior.

Well, as you can see that leaves one character, Betty Suarez from Ugly Betty. Here you go ladies, your role model; the image that society buys, embraces and projects across half the world. It’s hard to argue against the success of the show. It is one of the most successful show across Latin countries, as well as being Emmy worthy here in the states. I’m being political correct here by excusing the ugliness as a fault, after all Betty is a cute, ugly, if there is such a thing. For my taste, I think the show’s environment is cartoonish, the characters are cliché’s and the storylines are too over-the-top to make the characters believable and realistic. But then again, I'm not Latina so my I'm probably not the intended demographic for this show, and the show is not designed to retain my interest.

For my liking, I think there’s a better role model than Betty but I had to dismiss her according to the criteria. I’ll have to tell you who she is in my next entry. Until then, I invite you to watch and examine these characters and ask yourself, do I think these characters are role models? Are they stereotypical or not? Are they racial or not? If they are role models (like Ugly Betty), do Latinas pay attention and learn from them? If they are detrimental then why aren’t they being bashed like LittleLoca? Of course you know I have an opinion on these questions, and I promise I’ll try to be “ugly” with them.

Happy TV watching!
pm

...but is it art?

The other day I read that Angel and I are “sellouts” to our race. Angel has repeatedly warned me not to read the YouTube comments on LittleLoca but I can’t help take a peek at them every once in awhile. The jest of the comment is that we are sellouts because we made a short film with LittleLoca. You are probably thinking the same thing I thought when I read the comments, “will this discussion ever end”? Every time I think people have gotten passed the idea that Loca is a stereotype and an insult to Latinas, someone comes along, rehashes and bashes LittleLoca and her fans. It gets to the point that I wonder if it’s worth the effort to continue the Loca story.

After going to the gym and cooling my blood over the comments, I remembered an article I had read a long time ago about Steven Spielberg and the criticism he received on directing “The Color Purple”, which was nominated for 11 Academy Awards. The argument was that Steven was not black enough to tell this story of a black woman and should be replaced. If i remember correctly, his reply was that human suffering is colorblind. This led me to think that if Steven had listened to his “haters” or naysayers would the film have ever been made. Fortunately Steven stood up for his art and was able to transcend the black story and tell the story as a human experience for everyone to relate to and experience. Steven’s example reminded me that artists have to believe in themselves and create what is right for their art.

I wonder how many artists have given up their dream because someone told them they are stupid, untalented or not ethnic enough to express an idea? I also wondered what would have happened if Steven had stopped making films because a few people bashed him for being Jewish or a sellout.

I’m not so much concerned about my personal venture as a filmmaker. At this point in my life, I am utterly thrilled and fulfilled when I can just bring an idea to fruition. So if I am considered a sellout for taking a stance and making art then yes I am a big time sellout! I hope to always be a sellout to my ideas, creative voice and intelligence to create the right message for an art piece. I want my art to be challenging and spark debate. I might not always create good art but the only thing worse would be not to create art at all. After all I have a responsibility to my race – the human race. So I ask the question again. Is it worth it to take a stance with LittleLoca and continue her story? Yes. After all, a can of soup is a work of art too.

Thanks
Pablo

LocaMotion Derailed Trailer is online

You may have noticed that we posted a trailer for the Loca film short today. It's been a great experience working on this project with Stevie and Angel but it's also a bit of relief to put this project to bed. At least that's what I thought, until now that Angel and I are looking through film festival calendars. Being that this is my first time l never knew that a press/sales package for the film is as important as the film, and almost as much work to create. In fact, a film festival director told Angel that festivals are more about the filmmakers than the films. Funny when I've gone to festivals I go to see the films not filmmakers, but I guess it depends one which side of the camera you are sitting.

I mention this because in the next few weeks, Stevie, Angel and myself will be looking at film festivals, online festivals and other viewing opportunities that are available to us. I have no doubt that Loca will keep her fans updated and I'll try to add a few behind the scenes tidbits for hardcore Loca fans. Meanwhile let me get back to putting our glossy sales package together, after all this is show business and we still have some business to get done.

A New Year

A new year has begun… and for us it’s looks like it’s going to be an exciting year.

When Angel and I began this site we began with no real expectations. At the very least we thought it would be fun to post our animations, film shorts and maybe make a few friends along the way. To our surprise, people have responded with enthusiasm and encouragement to our efforts. We’ve also met awesome artists, filmmakers and actors that have inspired us with their stories and work.

After our first year of publishing, we’ve realized that the only thing holding us back is our ability to create and develop new content. There is an abundance of Latin talent out in the community and we are excited to bring these talented artists to our site as fast as possible.

We plan to open the art gallery, hold online film festivals and much more this year, so be sure to visit us throughout the year. We also look forward to reading your comments and suggestions to make this site the best representation of Latin art on the Internet.

Thank you to everyone for making the café a special place for us and have a great year…. and remember, be creative!!!

Angel and Paul