Meet Ana Santos | Illustrator & Muralist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ana Santos and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ana, can you tell us more about your background and the role it’s played in shaping who you are today?

Hi, I’m Ana and my pronouns are she/her/ella. I’m from the Basque Country, a region in the north of Spain, with their own language and their own culture. I was born and raised in Bilbao, a rainy and grey city surrounded by mountains and close to different beaches. People are really friendly and openminded there, and they socialize through food and drinks, no matter if it is raining, snowing or it is 98 degrees outdoors. So I can say that celebrating in the streets or in the nature is part of who I am.

Bilbao is not a big city and I love going everywhere walking or biking or using the public transport. I adore that it is convenient for everyone so it is more likely to see your friends or family after a day of work. I miss this here. It was the same when I was living in Madrid. It is difficult to have that kind of life in big cities, or in this case, in a city that is so spread out and requires a car for almost everything.

The fact that I grew up in a city where we give so much importance to personal relationships – family and friends are always in my heart – and to enjoying that love together and outdoors, whether on a day at the beach or on a hike in the mountains or drinking an orange juice on a terrace…. I think that happiness for the people and the landscape that surrounds me is what defines me.

I believe my background impacted me, but also the present. I have been living in Tucson for only 4 years, and I am still constantly learning about the culture and the people. Tucson ignited me the passion to paint again. I believe it is this sun 24/7 always on you. It is the calm and the wildness of this city that is impacting me right now, at least on my artwork.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My background encompasses painting, fashion design, and education, with an interest in social justice. My work is inspired by the wildness, color and craziness of the 90s pop culture (you have a big fan of Britney Spears here, indeed my derby name is Kidney Smears), the American 80s cartoons and the lowbrow art, and I like to use humor and crazy color combos.

I really like laughing and people who make me laugh so I use a satirical manner when trying to reflect my advocacy for human rights. I integrate these different feelings with the eyes of a child to create bold, colorful designs in a cartoonish style to give the opportunity to reconnect with our childhood. So as a child you can also enjoy the art, but as an adult you are able to see what it is just beneath the surface. Although not always, sometimes I really enjoy being explicit.

I am proud of my stubbornness and fighting spirit, of setting a path for myself and sticking to it. To be honest, I had my own business in fashion in my hometown. I spent 10 years dedicated to fashion design and fashion in general. Then, my partner moved to Arizona. I started visiting him and I was literally blown away by all the art on the streets of Tucson, its murals! I, besides fashion, had studied Fine Arts and had painted a few murals in my 20’s, but nothing serious. In fact, when I started in fashion, I completely left painting aside, although I continued drawing. So when I started visiting Tucson, I really fell in love with the city and also painting murals got into my head. That was my dream. So I decided to break up with everything there and moved with my love here. It was very natural to reconnect with painting. And then I started asking questions here and there, and I didn’t stop until I was able to paint my first mural. I’ve been lucky enough to paint with great artists as an assistant, but also to paint solo.
The art world is difficult because it is not usually stable and that is scary, but artists are generous and I was never afraid to ask questions and work hard. I think that way you are able to overcome the obstacles but yes, sometimes things work out well and sometimes they don’t, and that’s okay. Sometimes the opportunities don’t come, or they come later.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
The first day we would do something chill, like walking Tumamoc Hill and enjoying the views. It is easy to get there by public transport and it is free. We would enjoy the Karaoke at the local bar, Bob Dobbs, at night. Onion rings and laughs with friends.

We can visit and buy at the small businesses in 4th Avenue the next morning: Creations, Pop Cycle, & Gallery, Antigone Books, etc. We would buy something for dinner at Food Conspiracy Co-op, but first, we would enjoy lunch at Boca.

We could go to Tanque Verde Falls another day. It is beautiful with water, but also without it. After the hike, we would eat at Mercado San Agustin, enjoy the local stores and buy tons of sweets at La Estrella Bakery.

We should also experience a Mondo Monday night with popcorns at The Loft Cinema, they are the best!

One week is too short! We have to eat pizza at Falora, or enjoy the amazing food at Tumerico, beers and quesadillas at Borderlands, a dinner at Laco while enjoying a concert… So my friend will have to come back next year because there are so many more things to do like watching a Mexican film at the Fox Tucson Theatre organized by Cinema Tucsón once a month, or eating breakfast at Congress Hotel patio, or visiting MOCA and Tucson Museum of Art, eating at Mojo or having a special dinner at BATA.

I love a thousand of other places and I love doing other things like visiting the Planetarium, watching a volleyball game, biking while admiring all the murals in town… I cannot stop!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
As an immigrant, adapting to a new country and its people can be complicated. Making friends at this age, bonding in a foreign city… I am grateful to Tucson for the kindness of its people. I feel at home in places like The Loft or Antigone Books or the Public Library. But above all, I think what has helped me most to integrate and to think that I belong here is my roller derby team, Tucson Roller Derby. So big shoutout to the team for being the best in the world in every way!

Also, when I arrived here a friend of mine shared a book with me: Borderlands/La Frontera. The New Mestiza, by Gloria Anzaldúa. I was very impressed not only by the book but also to know that in 2010, Borderlands/La Frontera was one of the books banned by the Tucson Unified School System in Arizona.

Website: https://www.anasantosacinas.com

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