Changarreando with David Luna: Instagram Takeover

over image artwork: David Luna, The Alchemical Lion, 2020, Traditional and Digital Media, 8” x 10 1/2″

About the Artist

David Luna was born on August 5, 1991, under a waning crescent moon. He became familiar with drawing when his mother gave him freedom in the form of a pen, before he could even speak. His first inspiration was Dr. Seuss, and his world of curly, colorful forms. When things became turbulent, he found serenity in creating worlds of his own. He created his first comic while in 6th grade, and created his first animation in Photoshop during high school in rural Delaware. Prior to 2006, David had lived in different locations every year. His childhood was autumns in Connecticut, Godzilla VHS rentals, chasing dragonflies in Kissimmee, Disney World and Universal Studios, summers in Maine, obsessing over Pokemon and Digimon, watching Looney Tunes and seeing Mt. Rainier from his kitchen window, living in Santa Rosa and passing by the home of Charles Schultz, and wandering with his mother and sister in Guadalajara. 

While at Full Sail University, he was surprised to find how few people in the animation program practiced any form of art outside of school. He learned the most throughout his 2D animation program courses. When it was over, what stuck with him the most was the importance of character development so naturally he dropped out of school and explored the Orlando comedy scene. 

After six months of frequenting open mics with Orlando’s finest, he returned to Sussex County, Delaware where he became more focused with comedy and organizing within the scene. These were also two years of not focusing on cartoons and comics. Not drawing was eating away at his soul, so he returned to drawing and hasn’t stopped since. Today, he runs a cleaning business where he makes his own hours. He is thankful for his clients and his experiences, but he cannot deny how much he yearns to make illustrations a bigger part of his life.

Artist Statement

“I am an American cartoonist working in the spirit of the comics mediums with a current focus on cards and cartoons. My style is heavily inspired by the cartoons and art that I was exposed to growing up in states across the U.S. and Mexico. I emphasize the cartoon line with forms that move or pose purposefully, always as a reflection of a mood or event from reality. My character expressions are exaggerations of forms from the real world, or sometimes completely symbolic representations of contemporary and historic figures and concepts. Comics are a clear way to reflect on a universal situation, and the presence of a comic can provide a reference point and ultimately catharsis, usually through the telling or playing out of a joke. 

I am drawn to Mexican and Americana motifs and fashion, and my deck of original tarot cards “Lotería del Sol: The Mexican Tarot” is the most obvious example of this in my work. My decision to make a tarot deck was primarily influenced by Lotería games in Mexico, and by a need to share a series of illustrations that would feel complete and serve a purpose. My deck is the first to merge the system of the tarot with icons from Lotería since the respective card traditions first emerged as games during the Renaissance. The linework in my deck was a choice informed by drawing studies of cards from the Smith-Waite deck which has a line style not dissimilar to the bold outlines of Thomas Hart Benton, a contemporary of Pamela Coleman Smith who referred to his own mural outlines as “cartoons”. The Kabbalistic interpretation of the tarot provides a thorough basis for understanding the timeless situations and characters of life. I’ve come to view cardmaking and cartooning as a way to synthesize the culture of the times into new archetypes and stories.”

Artists have the opportunity to sell their art on the Changarrito cart in front of the Museum (or an offsite location, as representative for the Museum during various Austin festivals). Changarreando expands the reach of the artist by presenting their gallery online, while allowing the option to sell merch over Instagram and receive 100% of the sale.

David Luna featured his artwork on the Changarrito cart outside the Museum’s entrance on April 10th and 18th, 2021.

Follow us on Instagram and Facebook for updates on original work available for purchase and behind the scenes of the artist’s work, space, and creative process.

Changarrito Instagram Live Interview on Thursday, April 29th

Mexic-Arte Museum’s Changarrito Instagram Live event with Artist David Luna took place on Thursday, April 29th from 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm CST. Dr. George Vargas, Mexic-Arte Museum Curator & Director of Programs, facilitated the virtual event with a series of questions directed at the artist including a Q&A taking place during the last 20 minutes of the event.