May 15th is the International Day of Families. ⭐️ Perspectives shift and principles change as we branch out in different directions, but our roots remain the same. ••• Artwork: “Mi Familia” (1996) – color pencil and graphite pencil ✍🏼

¡Felicidades to all graduating students! 🎓 Your hard work will provide you with the kinds of opportunities past generations would have only dreamed of. Keep learning to further your growth. Stay focused & continue developing your skills. Artwork: “Change The World” (2014) – mural (acrylic paint) 🎨

¡Feliz Cinco de Mayo! 🇲🇽 On this day in 1862, the mighty French army – considered the most powerful military in the world – was defeated by a ragtag force of poor Indigenous Mexicans in the Battle of Puebla (in east-central México). ••• Artwork: “Raza” (2001) – computer art 🖼️

“With you May the 4th be.” Happy Star Wars Day! 🚀

May 1st is International Workers’ Day. ⭐️ Today we honor and celebrate the people who built this country. Those that fought for the eight-hour working day and better work conditions. ••• Artwork: “Los Campesinos” (2005) – charcoal pencil ✍🏼

April 30th is Día del Niño. 👶🏽👧🏻👦🏾 Children have the ability to remind us of all the magical things in life we take for granted every day. Their vibrant energy invigorates our spirit and rejuvenates the fire society has dimmed in us. ••• Artwork: “Why Not You?” (2018) – mural (acrylic paint) 🎨

April 15th is World Art Day. 🎨 Resist diluting your point of view to appease others and increase your art sales. Be bold with your ideas and create waves. The people who like what you’re producing will remain loyal to your brand and you’ll be respected for staying true to yourself. ⭐️

Aren’t you glad a lying, abusive, narcissistic, racist, misogynistic, unstable, corrupt, profiteering, self-serving, conniving, warmongering pedophile is NOT our president? April Fools! 🍊🤡 ••• Artwork: “You’re Fired!” (2020) – computer art 🖼️

March 31st is National Farm Workers Day. 🍅 Known as “el cortito” (“the short one”), the short-handled hoe was a symbol of the exploitation, oppression, and cruelty of the back-breaking work conditions that farmworkers suffered for decades. ••• Artwork: “Los Campesinos” (2005) – charcoal pencil ✍🏼

March 21st is International Color Day. 🌈 Do you know that colors don’t actually exist? They are an illusion created by our brain. Light and energy do exist… but not color. 🤯 ••• Artwork: “Mexica Sun” Color Chart (2002) – construction paper, acrylic paint, color pencil, & pen ✂️

‘Killing Rage: Ending Racism’ (bell hooks) 📖 *Read my review: 👇🏼 www.robertovaldessanchez.com/killing-rage...

“El Corajudo” (2006) – charcoal (conté crayon) ✍🏼 A portrait of a grumpy old man, emphasizing the light and shadows on his face. ••• *For more art: 👇🏼 www.robertovaldessanchez.com/artwork.html

On this day (March 17) in 1966… Chicano labor leader César Chávez lead a group of strikers on a historic 340-mile march from Delano to the California State Capitol in Sacramento, to draw national attention to the plight of the farmworkers. ••• Artwork: “El Hombre de Oro” (2005) – gouache paint 🎨

March 14th is Genius Day. 🧠 Albert Einstein revolutionized science and is a winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics. He is widely considered as one of the smartest men who ever lived. Happy Birthday, Einstein! 🎂 Rest in Peace. 1879-1955 •• Artwork: “Albert Einstein” (2014) – mural (acrylic paint) 🎨

¡Happy Mexica (Aztec) New Year! 🪶 ••• Artwork: “Mandala Azteca” (2005) – gouache paint & black ink 🎨

March 8th is International Women’s Day. 👸🏽 Women are endowed with the miraculous gift of creating life. She wields her power by giving birth to men and man limits her power with patriarchy. ••• Artwork: “Las Tres Caras #1” (2006) – charcoal (conté crayon) ✍🏼

March 3rd is National “I Want You To Be Happy” Day. 😊 Happiness is a choice. We are only happy when we choose to be. No one else can make us happy; nor should we expect them to. It comes from within. The choice is ours and ours alone. ••• Artwork: “Muhammad Ali” (2014) – mural (acrylic paint) 🎨

‘The Four Agreements’ (Miguel Ruiz) 📖 *Read my review: 👇🏼 www.robertovaldessanchez.com/the-four-agr...

February 25th is National Quiet Day. 🤫 Stepping away to decompress is essential to our productivity. Let go of all the distractions around you and just be still. Peace and contentment come to us when we stop chasing – and just be. 🌟 ••• Artwork: “La Buena Vida” (2006) – charcoal pencil ✍🏼

February 24th is el Día de la Bandera Mexicana. 🇲🇽 The three colors represent hope (green), unity (white), and the blood of all national heroes (red). The serpent and eagle emblem was inspired by a Mexica legend regarding the founding of Tenochtitlan. ••• Artwork: “Raza” (2001) – computer art 🖼️

“El Barbón” (2006) – charcoal ✍🏼 A side profile drawing of a bearded man, emphasizing the light and shadows in the portrait. ••• *For more art: 👇🏼 www.robertovaldessanchez.com/artwork.html

‘Drink Cultura: Chicanismo’ (José Antonio Burciaga) 📖 *Read my review: 👇🏼 www.robertovaldessanchez.com/drink-cultur...

“Disco Mex” Sign (2003) – acrylic paint on a wood panel 🎨 I designed and painted this double-sided sign for a Mexican music store in my hometown of Yuba City, California. 🎶 ••• *For more art: 👇🏼 www.robertovaldessanchez.com/artwork.html

‘Design Motifs of Ancient Mexico’ (Jorge Enciso) 📖 *Read my review: 👇🏼 www.robertovaldessanchez.com/design-motif...

“CHICANO!” (2013) – acrylic paint on a wood panel 🎨 This large 4 x 6.5 ft. painting is a bold declaration of a cultural identity that defiantly rejects Western societal conformity. ✊🏽 ••• *Buy a print: 👇🏼 www.robertovaldessanchez.com/chicano.html

‘The Debt: What America Owes to Blacks’ (Randall Robinson) 📖 *Read my review: 👇🏼 www.robertovaldessanchez.com/the-debt.html

“Bruce Lee” (2013) – mural (acrylic paint) 🎨 Bruce Lee is one of the most influential martial artists of all time and is widely credited with helping to change the way Asians are presented in American films. ⭐️ ••• *Buy a print: 👇🏼 www.robertovaldessanchez.com/bruce-lee.html

January 26th is National Spouse Day. 💍 To my high school sweetheart and beautiful wife – Iztaccíhuatl Guadalupe… You are the love of my life; my greatest friend; my fiercest opponent. You are my home. ❤️ ••• Artwork: “Iztaccíhuatl” (2006) – charcoal (conté crayon) ✍🏼

January 24th is International Day of Education. 🎓 The true purpose of education is to build critical thinkers, astute readers excited to expand their worldview, and conscious leaders who equate success with love – not money. ⭐️ ••• Artwork: “Reading is Knowledge” (2007) – mural (acrylic paint) 🎨

“Change The World” (2014) – mural (acrylic paint) 🎨 A 27.5 x 9 ft. mural painted at Gray Avenue Middle School in Yuba City, California, highlighting the importance of education to our personal growth & as a source of empowerment. 🌟 ••• *Buy a print: 👇🏼 www.robertovaldessanchez.com/change-the-w...

This January 20, we celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day. ✊🏾 On this day, we honor the life of the most recognized leader in the Afro-American Civil Rights Movement & reflect on the enduring legacy of universal struggle for equity. • Artwork: “Reading is Knowledge” (2007) – mural (acrylic paint) 🎨

January 17th is Muhammad Ali’s birthday. 🎂 Ali was a controversial and polarizing figure for speaking out about religious freedom and racial justice during a time when it wasn’t popular to do so. ✊🏾 Rest in Power, Champ. 🥊 1942-2016 ••• Artwork: “Muhammad Ali” (2014) – mural (acrylic paint) 🎨

January 15th is Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday. 🎂 The United States – which once labeled him a “radical” – now celebrates ‘Martin Luther King Jr. Day’ as a national holiday. ⭐️ Rest in Power, King. 👑 1929-1968 ••• Artwork: “Martin Luther King, Jr.” (2014) – mural (acrylic paint) 🎨

The United States was built on extraction and exploitation. It is the wealthiest country in the world for continuously choosing profit over morality. 💰 An economy that favors capital over care will never willfully concede power to its hard-working laborers. People must unite and demand it. ✊🏽

‘Che: A Revolutionary Life’ (Jon Lee Anderson & José Hernández) 📖 *Read my review: 👇🏼 robertovaldessanchez.com/che.html

“César el Santo” (2003) – charcoal (conté crayon) ✍🏼 César Chávez was a farm worker, labor leader, and a civil rights activist. His work led to numerous improvements for migrant workers across the U.S. ✊🏽 ••• *Buy a print: 👇🏼 www.robertovaldessanchez.com/cesar-el-san...

January 6th is National Bean Day. 🫘 Beans are full of nutrients, are rich in fiber, and provide healthier proteins than meat. They are a major component in the daily diet of people living in blue zones around the world. 🥣 ••• Artwork: “Busy Beans” (1997) – color pencil ✍🏼

January 5th is National Bird Day. 🪶 The Mexica (Aztecs) viewed the hummingbird as a symbol of bravery, strength, and rebirth. They were believed to be fearless fighters who gained the divine power to fly. ••• Artwork: “Reading is Knowledge” (2007) – mural (acrylic paint) 🎨

January 2nd is National Science Fiction Day. 🚀 George Lucas – the creator of Star Wars – once said that Star Wars is not science fiction. He didn’t realize the long-term impact his work would have on the subject. ⭐️ ••• Artwork: “George Lucas (with Yoda)” (2014) – mural (acrylic paint) 🎨

December 23rd is National Roots Day. 🌳 The past informs us, teaches us, and strengthens us. Understanding the depth of our roots awakens a greater purpose and gives us the courage to brave the storms. 🌟 ••• Artwork: “Raza” (2001) – computer art 🖼️

Because today is National Lee Day… 💥 (December 21) ••• Artwork: “Bruce Lee” (2013) – mural (acrylic paint) 🎨

Let go of the things you can’t change & enjoy the magic taking place all around you. We are the happiest & most at ease when we live in the present moment – enjoying all the small details we would have missed. One day, we will look back & realize it was the little things that became the big things.🌟

‘Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents’ (Isabel Wilkerson) 📖 *Read my review: 👇🏼 www.robertovaldessanchez.com/caste.html

On this day (December 17) in 1790… The Mexica Sun Stone – commonly known as the “Aztec Calendar” – was found buried face down underneath the “Zócalo” (México City’s main square), during repairs on the Metropolitan Cathedral. ⛪️ ••• Artwork: “Mandala Azteca” (2005) – gouache paint & black ink 🎨

“César Chávez” (2014) – mural (acrylic paint) 🎨 As a union activist and labor organizer, he fought for farmworkers’ rights using nonviolent methods through boycotts, marches, and hunger strikes. ✊🏽 ••• *Buy a print: 👇🏼 www.robertovaldessanchez.com/cesar-chavez...

Forgiveness doesn’t mean we’ve let go of our anger and accepted how they hurt us. It means we are not allowing what happened to control us any longer. We shift away from the pain of victimization by transforming our anger into empowerment. We forgive, but we don’t forget. 🌟

Felicidades to all graduating students!🎓 (Fall Commencement Ceremonies) Never forget all the people who helped you along the way. Keep the doors of opportunity wide open for the next generation of students following in your footsteps. • Artwork: “Change The World” (2014) – mural (acrylic paint) 🎨

December 6th is “Put On Your Own Shoes” Day. 👟 Today is a good day to put on your favorite kicks and go kick some ass. You didn’t wake up this morning to be mediocre. This is your sign to get out there and get shit done. 💪🏽 =RVS= c/s ••• Artwork: “Zapatos” (2006) – charcoal pencil ✍🏼

On Dec. 5th, we remember the life of South African leader & anti-apartheid activist Nelson Mandela. ✊🏾 He became a symbol of the anti-apartheid cause & a rallying point for South Africa’s oppressed. Rest in Power, Madiba. ✨ 1918-2013 ••• Artwork: “Nelson Mandela” (2014) – mural (acrylic paint) 🎨

Always remember that our sons and daughters… our nieces and nephews… our grandchildren… are all watching us. 👀 One day, they’ll understand exactly who we are. Guaranteed. Be someone our children can model their behavior after. Let your life be the blueprint they’ll carry into their own future. ⭐️