Aurora artist Francisco “Frankie” Contreras received a certificate of recognition from the village of Oswego as the spring 2022 featured artist at the Art at Village Hall showcase.

Art at Village Hall was established by the Cultural Arts Committee and rotates exhibits of artists from the area. Contreras was selected as the village artist for spring 2022.

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Francisco "Frankie" Contreras working on a Dragon Ball Z themed piece.

Contreras grew up in a small town in Mexico near Guadalajara called Valle De Juarez. His family moved to Aurora when he was 8, and he has been there since, although his parents and two sisters have returned to Mexico.

Contreras said his father, Francisco Contreras Sr. is a huge inspiration in his life and the person who pushed him to pursue art.

Contreras attended McCarty Elementary, then Still and Granger middle schools before graduating from Waubonsie Valley High School in Aurora.

Contreras began painting less than two years ago. He said he had been doodling since he was little, drawing with pencils, and had art class in elementary school, but wasn’t fond of it.

He picked it up again in high school, where he would get in trouble for drawing on desks before he decided to take art classes.

“I figured it would be an easy A” Contreras said, but it clearly became more than that.

In March 2020, amid the first COVID-19 lockdown, Contreras began painting canvases on the bedroom floor of his Aurora apartment. At the time he had just one paint brush he used for everything.

He began experimenting with painting traditional Japanese-style art, incorporating modern Japanese animation and culture with traditional tattoo art known as Irezumi.

Contreras sold his first painting the same month he began to paint. The piece was of a Dragonball-Z character and sold for $50, which he immediately used to buy more supplies.

Since then, he has sold about 30 works, mainly through his Instagram, including several commissioned pieces.

While many of his paintings reflect modern media, Japanese and popular culture, Contreras said he draws much of his inspiration from the Renaissance artists such as Michelangelo and Rafael, street artists such as Alec Monopoly and Bob Ross, host of “The Joy of Painting” on PBS.

“Most of the time, I paint what I feel like painting,” Contreras said, “Then, while I’m working on it, I’ll post a picture on Instagram or Snapchat and I’ll get offers.”

Contreras said he began to think seriously about painting as a career when his Instagram page began to gain traction, and pieces were being sold faster than they could be finished. He also has had several pieces commissioned through Instagram, with prices varying by size and time spent.

“Sadly, I now have more followers on my art page than my personal one,” Contreras said.

Contreras found out about Oswego’s Village Hall art showcase through a friend who sent him an application. He submitted three paintings, and was selected as one of five contestants for the spring showcase.

When Julie Hoffman, the village’s community engagement coordinator, told Contreras he won, he had eight works he was ready to submit. Hoffman told Contreras that the village was looking for 20-25 pieces.

Contreras took time off from his job at Aeropostale and went to work painting, creating eight pieces in four days.

Contreras is still uncertain where his art will take him. He is certainly still developing, constantly trying new mediums and styles, with no plans to stop experimenting.

Contreras already has a wide range of style, from creating a galaxy with spray paint to a mosaic made of Pokémon cards.

Contreras isn’t afraid to try something different. He once tattooed a friend, but said he probably won’t do it again for fear of hurting someone.

“I’m not settled into one style of art,” Contreras said, “Everything is fascinating.”

Contreras said it isn’t just the artists that inspire him, but the way that art changes and adapts over time is inspiration in itself. He compared what inspiration must have been like for founding artists without technology, to that of modern day artists who can create art out of anything.

The ultimate goal, Contreras said, is to have his own exhibit in Chicago. He said he has a vision of a big white room in the city displaying his pieces while he walks around enjoying a drink.

In the meantime, Contreras said he would like to enter similar contests in other neighboring cities as he continues to hone his craft and grow.