Joaquin Alejandro Newman was born 1973 in Oakland, and currently lives and paints in his hometown. The son of an artist mother and a scientist father, Joaquin’s mixed heritage of Yaqui, Mexican, and European ancestry has fueled his creative endeavors his entire life. After studying fine art and digital design at Cabrillo College and UC Santa Cruz, Joaquin now works as a painter, muralist, graphic designer, and illustrator. He has taught at the Academy of Art College, held workshops at the Oakland Museum of California, and made presentations to many classrooms around the Bay Area. His murals and paintings can be found on many walls and galleries around the Bay Area and the nation. Outside of works related to his mixed indian heritage and explorations of other indigenous nations, recent paintings examine the delicate balance between nature and technology, faith and reason, and the Spirit that exists in all things.
Joaquin will be lead instructor in a mural series to be created by the students of Destiny Arts’ Summer Program, with images from indigenous meso-American literature, in conjunction with scientific illustrations of environmental cycles.
As co-creator of the Forrealism Movement, Joaquin showcases his work and that of his collaborators on www.forrealism.com, a portal functioning as a vision for the future of indigenous arts.