"The imagery in my work can be described as weird and bizarre, however also charming and mysterious. I create images depicting memories, characters, and stories from my life. My printmaking practice acts as a vehicle of my culture, replicating what being Mexican American means to me. I work primarily in woodcut and relief printmaking.  I explore multiple methods to add color through the work such as Chiaroscuro and Chiné Colle. More recently, I am now exploring the use of different wooden matrices that could be used to pull prints from musical instruments. To coincide with this experimentation, I hope to push the boundaries of the printmaking process. 

My works are inspired by the imagery of the Harlem Renaissance, more specifically how the human condition is conveyed through painting and printmaking during that iconic time period. I believe shapes and textures from those artworks had a significant role to play in the creation of my work. I am particularly moved by image composition and visual hierarchy of Mexican contemporaries. Furthermore, I am interested in the revolutionary framework that printmaking has brought to the history of Mexico and the United States." ~Ismael Izaguirre