Edgar Canseco

My name is Edgar Mauricio Canseco, I am 43 years old, and I was born in Mexico City. My parents migrated to San Antonio in 1984 so San Antonio has been home for my entire life. Growing up in San Antonio in the 80’s was the best! My brother, cousins, and I were always outside playing, or ridding our bikes to the local bodega for snacks. We would also make up the most creative ways to play; like making dams by the ditch when it rained, or makeshift haunted houses. I’ve always enjoyed creating arts and crafts as well as drawing but never got into painting until I took an acrylics painting class at NW Vista in 2001. I painted a little in my 20’s but I just hadn’t found my voice and it reflected in my work. I stopped painting in my 30’s; didn’t pick up a brush once. In 2021 my aunt passed away, she was the artist in the family, shortly after her death I started painting again. I started off by painting landscapes, I must have painted 20-30 different landscapes when my husband, Nick, told me “honey I love that you’re painting again, but that’s enough with the landscapes” haha. That same night I watched an artist documentary and the show opens up by saying “Bob Ross was wrong… not everyone can paint”. Those words lit a fire inside me! The world had become so angry and now this guy is talking trash about Bob Ross and discouraging peoples creativity. That night my creative voice was unlocked and I created what I consider to be my first “real art” piece.