Wayne Healy

I had the great fortune to grow up in an artistic family atmosphere where art was not a vocational goal, but a natural form of expression. The imagery that appears in my work is autobiographical and narrative of the East L A experience, from the 1940s to the present. I used to think my subject matter might be somewhat provincial until I traveled the world. I then realized that my themes are universally relevant with merely a veneer of cultural specificity.

Because of my long career as a public artist, I have probably painted 100,000 square feet of art on many surfaces. However, when asked, I usually answer that I'm a draftsman. Although always in the learning mode, when I have a pencil in hand it seems as though the resultant drawing was made on autopilot. The development of my drawing skills has always kept me grounded in the fundamentals - a sort of home base from which to return after my adventures with paint, ceramics, sculpture and even (gasp) computer art software.

An oddly wonderful phenomenon has been evolving as I cruise through the cocktail hour of my life. I seem to be getting more invitations from schools, museums, tours and even correctional institutions to speak about Chicano art. So far it's been an easy job, somewhat akin to an old man talking about the good old days. In order to avoid sounding like I'm from the remote past; I try to keep up with the younger generation's artwork that keeps my perspective fresh. When viewing the fashions of the hip-hop generation, I'm reminded of the Sir Guy shirts, starched khakis and spit shined Romeos of the 1950s. The intergenerational difference of Chicanos and their art is mainly cosmetic.

I will continue to draw on my memories of a more rural East Los with pigeon coops, elotes and nopaleras, and the junkman rolling down the alley in a horse drawn wagon. But watch out, I am well on my way into cyberspace. Besides pencils and brushes, my tools now include Photoshop and Illustrator. It seems as though my art is getting older and younger at the same time. Imagínese!
 

WAYNE ALANIZ HEALY - Biography

Born in Santa Barbara, California, Wayne Alaniz Healy was raised in East Los Angeles. His entire K-12 education took place within a 10-block area. Moving away to college at California State Polytechnic College - Pomona (BS Aerospace Engineering, BS Mathematics 1968) and then to the University of Cincinnati (MS Mechanical Engineering 1973) gave Healy a wanderlust that persists to this day. The technical education resulted in a 23-year engineering career in aerospace. In 1991, Healy left aerospace to devote full time to art. Healy made it official by earning his MFA [Art 1999] from California State University Northridge.

If one believes in the hereditary transmission of artistic ability, then it is easy to believe that Healy was born to be an artist. Grandfather Adolfo Alaniz, who painted a mural in l9Z0s' Los Angeles, was a respected artist who taught his sons to paint. The sons became Healy's uncles and passed the muse onto their eager nephew. Thus, prior to art school, Healy already had a lifetime of art training.

Wayne Healy began to sell his oil paintings soon after moving to Cincinnati, Ohio in 1968 and so started a professional art career that has spanned over 30 years. The Midwest period pieces were all commissions and had no gallery exhibitions. That all changed when Healy returned to East Los in 1972 and immediately dove into the ELA Mural Movement with Mechicano Art Center. The focus of the artist's life was thus forged in public art.

In 1975, WH was reunited with grade school friend and fellow artist David Botello to establish East Los Streetscapers (ELS), the most enduring public art team to come from East L A. After painting murals that celebrate the human spirit for more than two decades, ELS is currently involved with public art projects that are 3D and multimedia in nature. ELS now builds public art from the ground up, as in two recent projects: El Pueblo San Jose de Guadalupe and LAPD Memorial. The projects use sculpture in concrete and bronze plus architectural materials such as granite, concrete, steel and pavers. The multimedia design effort combines engineering and art, thus opening up a vast potential for new ideas. The challenge of integrating art and architecture motivates ELS in the 21st century.

Although public art demands a lot of time, Wayne Healy continues to produce his own artwork. Besides painting and drawing in the studio, Healy produces a variety of graphic works at East L A's Self Help Graphics including serigraph, mono-silkscreen and etching. Healy's imagery mostly depicts everyday scenes that are cultural and/or universal. His art is recognizable by vigorous draftsmanship, dramatically angled composition and strong colors. The work is in public and private collections on six continents.

Healy began his international art odyssey by curating the first exhibit of Chicano art in Europe in 1983. The exhibit opened at the Triskel Art Centre in Cork, Ireland; birthplace of his great grandfather. Since then, he has traveled to Egypt, Pakistan, Japan, Spain, England, Scotland, Chile and Mexico to participate in exhibits and give workshops.

The ELS studio has provided work experience and job training for young artists eager to carry on the tradition. Healy as educator has run workshops, given lectures and worked on projects with K-12 youth. Healy has been a part time art instructor at CSUN since 1997