Today we’d like to introduce you to Anthony “AO” Oropeza.
Hi Anthony “AO”, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My story is kinda all over the place. My story is kinda like a series of waves – some big, some small, some crashed horribly and some just easily and smoothly rolled onto the shore.
I had been a struggling artist in many mediums for years with tons of ups and downs. So around 2013, my daughter was in 7th grade and I was co-parenting (50/50) with her mom – I knew I wanted my child to attend a Catholic high school. and that meant high school level tuition. The high school tuition of my child’s education was going to be my responsibility since mom took care of most of her middle school tuition.
Unfortunately, at that time, I was barely making ends meet, I was a single parent with credit card debt, school loans, baby momma drama, a crappy car (that broke down every other month) and other financial obligations – life was a bit of a mess. Things could have been worse but I had a stable job but not making much as a full-time government employee. I knew I was bound for failure for this child’s education if I didn’t start looking for a part time job to pay for her school.
Then I had this crazy idea in 2013 to avoid a part time job(working for someone else), maybe I could try to drum up some business for myself by painting sports athletes. This was not my first attempt at sports art. I had failed many times before at it. But in 2013, I really liked the way the KC Royals were playing so I decided to create a project and paint 5 original pieces of my five favorite KC Royals (Cain, Hosmer, Perez, Gordon and Moustakas) and then have a few small art shows centered around them, and promote me as a freelance artist. Well, I found that these pieces took longer than I imagined, even though I worked on them daily (evenings and weekends).
On the other side, my friend, a manager at Starbucks, asked if I wanted a part time job, since she was aware that I knew a ton about the company, the products, loved coffee, liked the CEO, and mainly because I was there almost everyday before work, in the evenings and there every weekend working on my stuff.
So I kept declining the Starbucks job because I had started this freelance painting project for myself and I didn’t want to quit what I had started. The reason I didn’t want to quit was because something in the back of my mind something kept telling me that just like my web stuff from the past, I could figure this out. And just like my web training, I would have to figure this painting stuff on my own. So I knew I could figure this stuff out but I would have to teach myself. There was no other way. I’d have to teach myself how to be a better painter if I wanted to make a dent and be a player in the sports art game here in KC.
So I kept drawing and inking small comic book pieces as well as creating small paintings (8×10, etc.) of Disney princess for $50 or $80 per. But to me, a $50-$80 originals, no matter how long they took, were not only a cool small freelance gigs, they was on-the-job-training, a new portfolio piece and a new social media promotion piece.
The thing was, was that I just had to believe that one day art buyers would take my work serious – then I figured out that they would only take it serious – only if I took it my artwork serious. So while painting my larger non-commissioned “promotion” sports pieces and posting them on a regular, I was slowly accumulating followers.
I remember things were really tough. I remember once getting ghosted three times on the same piece by the same person. This piece took me 5-6 weeks to complete and when I wanted to sell it, I asked for $800. It probably took me 80-100 hours to complete. The person who was a big fan of Chipper Jones inquired and was told the piece was for $800. Then no call back – ghosted. Then they called back the following week and I reduced the sale amount down to $500 – ghosted.
Then they called back one more time and I gave them a rock bottom amount of $300, because I seriously needed the money – and yes … ghosted again.
So, I never made that sale. I just figured the work was not good enough for them at that time. Dusted myself off and used that scenario as a motivator.
The thing was, I knew that person one day would call back for the piece, or other piece of work, and if I stuck to the plan, my work would get better and then prices would get higher. And yes, she did call back, 5 years later when Chipper entered the MLB Hall of Fame. She asked if it was still available. It was. I told her it was still for sale. She asked if it was still $300. I told her, I was sorry, and that the piece was still available but it was $1,700, and that she was welcome for come by and pick it that weekend, knowing she would not buy it. And yes, she ghosted me again.
So, after situations like that happened, and they will and still do, as an artist, you have to do everything possible to keep your chin up. Me, I continued to paint and post. And it seemed everyone loved the posts, the small pieces I created and my WIP (Work in Progress) pics, but it was not until someone really took my work serious enough to invest into a large amount of money on to a larger original painting. That’s when I started to believe in myself even more. That’s when I felt even more that I had a chance to be a legitimate artist/sports painter.
One day in 2015, a gentleman from the St. Louis area inquired about a 24×36 commission of his friend, a former Oakland A’s pro baseball player during the 70’s World Series run – a kind of unsung hero. We negotiated a price and it was the largest amount of money for a painting that I had ever negotiated – $500 (plus additional cost for supplies and shipping). That sale for me was a game changer.
That sale legitimatized that my work was worth more. I also put more work into my work. I knew there was more to learn and that here was possibly bigger and better things ahead – only if I worked. I also knew that with my limited time, taking care of a kid, my 9 to 5, and other obligations, that I was not going to be able to be involved in the KC art circles, afford an agent, schmooze with the art elite or galleries here in KC, nor make big art world connections.
I also found out that many purest do not view sports art as an upper level art form compared to portraits, landscapes, etc., which puts me in the minority even more. And, speaking of minority, as a minority, a Mexican- American, as a new up-and-coming sports artist, I had to learn that I had to work three times harder to prove myself – I felt there was no way in changing that – but only through work. So I got to work.
So, in the past 4 years, my quality has increased, work has increased, being noticed for my work in the media has increased, and the demand for my fundraising appearances has increased – and it’s been a real awesome wave to ride. And it’s been a rougher ride than people think. But I am not finished and I am not complaining. My life, just like everyone else, still gets hit with difficulty – family, financial and personal situations, and I also get hit with many artistic and business difficult situations – but I have to see it is a long game – a marathon.
I’ve learned that I can’t be discouraged because I didn’t get selected for a large local project, or do not get a project with a big name pro athlete, or I don’t get that large painting commission, or maybe I don’t get help from people who say they are going to help and don’t – I have learned to take the punches and brush it off and file it away – just like the Chipper Jones “ghosted”. Stuff is gonna come at you – that’s part of the game.
We grew up kinda poor in KCK. Single mom raised four kids in Argentine, so you learn to take the hits early on. But we also learned to count our blessings and do our best to keep moving forward. And also, when the hard times do hit, I have to make myself revisit my promise aka Our (AOART5) Mission with my AOART5 Studio which is, “to create work with a purpose, to produce high quality and meaningful designs that ignite emotion … (and that) we will help our community by using our creativity, talents and hard work to assist the poor, homeless, sick, youth and uneducated in Kansas City.” I have learned that when I feel a bit down, that when I get over myself and do for others, things start to turn around.
Nevertheless, in these past 8 long years, things have started to turn around – but I ain’t done yet – it’s like that Pearl Jam song where Eddie Vedder sings, “I’ll ride the wave – Where it takes me …”, that’s what I’m doing.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
So for me, I’m no different than anyone else out there trying to make ends meet. I have obstacles and challenges, big and small, every day, and sometimes all day. I have obstacles/challenges in just about every aspect of my life – the full time job, raising a kid, making rent, family issues, personal relationships, money issues, car problems, sleep deprivation, Covid scares – and that’s the non-art stuff – but that’s just life, right?
Currently, the biggest obstacle for me is helping and figuring out a probate situation with my daughter. Those kind of major family hurdles tend to add stress an distract creatives from their artwork. It is not fun at all.
Then on the art side, there is a whole different list of obstacles/challenges accompanying the family hurdles – for my AOART5 Studio, I am the only constant for the business. I do not have a partner or steady help. I am the business guy and art guy all in one. Sometimes it feels like I am an outsider trying to make it in a tough art world. I do not have an agent (nor do not really want one), I do not have an assistant (sometimes wish I did). So the burdens on me – finding clients, applying for projects, meeting with clients, negotiating deals, working on projects, completing projects, meeting deadlines, updating website, managing social media, creating marketing materials, setting up interviews, organizing projects with other artist, deliveries, setting up for events, working with printers – to name a few.
The thing about it all – one, I accept the burden – it’s part of the gig, especially when you are new to the game – and two, it basically comes down to time management and discipline – both of which I am still working on, and three, I know deep down inside, I just need to keep working and figuring it out and it will get easier.
And above all that – I believe this art thing is what I was supposed to do. I believe that in the end, it would be all worth it. When I was growing up, many counted me out as a person and especially as an artist – including me sometimes. I know most never thought I’d create pieces like I do now. Now they know.
And now, I know for sure, I’m not bad at what I do. I also know I am not the best, but I’m getting better by the day and that is what is important – it’s a marathon.
Painting and designing is harder work than people think – so it’s kinda like a blessing and a curse – but we all have to pay our dues, right? And for me, my hard work assures I have a better change to achieve. And if I achieve that means I am moving forward.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Well, the majority of my projects are sports paintings, but I also design and paint more than just sports. But my bread and butter is the sports art – and I love it. I usually create 24×26 and 36×48 original pieces – and mostly of Patrick Mahomes. With my work, I love capturing dynamic and meaningful moments or glimpses of athletes in my work. As a fan of the sports, the Royals, the Chiefs, SportingKC, and other local teams I am an artist who creates sports art, and I enjoy seeing and creating both the sporty coolness of an athlete’s work on the field and the translating the artistic beauty of the sport on canvas or wood.
Currently, I have 4 commission projects I am working on – a painting of a nice Chevy truck, a painting of a former MU basketball coach, Norm Stewart, a painting of Patrick Mahomes and a painting of a former pro NBA player. And I feel very fortunate to have these projects to create and work on.
With my pieces, I design and create these originals in both my office and in my studio. They take 4-8 weeks to complete but there are also a number of hours in chatting with the client and working on layout. And during fundraising season, I paint 2-3 hour live originals at various fundraising events here in KC. I also freelance for a few small businesses (logo design and web fixes) and donate time and art to charitable organizations (design and web work) that assists others in our community (poor, homeless, students, etc.) and if they align with our AOART5 Mission.
I also handle my own social media promo work – while working a full time job and raising a kiddo. Nevertheless, I do most of this work on my lunch breaks, evenings and weekends. Why? Because I really like creating. I really like sports. I really like art and design. And above it all – I like proving to myself and like proving to those that said or thought I couldn’t create cool work, I like proving them wrong.
I learned many years ago, I can only control what I can control, and you can’t care about what others might think. You have to find a way either avoid the punch or learn how to take the punch and get back up, dust yourself off and refocus on the work – then go and prove somebody wrong. Then at the end of the day, deep down in your heart, you know you did something cool and accomplished a list of things people didn’t think you were capable of doing – while remembering those you helped you along the way.
What I am most proud?
First of all, I knew that my hill to climb as a sports artist would a bit tougher than most, for many reasons. With my low level of talent, lack of confidence and limited resources I was dealt with, I would say that in general, I am proud of what I have learned and accomplished on my own and what I learned and accomplished with the help of some really good people that I have come in contact with, because I/we have achieved more than I ever thought I could.
Four of my favorite achievements – 1: Paying my kid’s school tuition with my part-time art earnings / 2: Selling my own work without an agent or a gallery rep. / 3: Raising more money than I ever thought my art could raise for worthy KC charities and local schools / 4: Knowing that if I stuck to the game plan and didn’t quit – that good things (large and small) would happen.
What sets me apart from others? I think my style of are sets me apart. I combine graphic design, typography and two types of painting styles in just about every piece, and this is from someone who started out as a poor graphic designer and mediocre painter. My work is a reflection of where I grew up in KCK – it is gritty, raw and a blue collar style that makes you feel like – “I bet that guy was sweating while he was creating this piece.”, and lot of times I did. My believe my work also evokes a certain feeling to the non-sports fans and an elevated feeling to a sports fan. I have had a number of non-sports fans come up to me a say, “I am not a sports fan, but I really like your work. There is just something about it … I get this feeling about it…. ” And to me, that pretty cool stuff.
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
Likes: The good people, the diversity, I like having roots in both Kansas Cities, I like my great clients and fans of the work, I like most of the coffee shops in town (especially if they have Wi-Fi), I like the landmarks and our sports teams, and I like their championships, I like the growing art scene/art organizations willing to help artists and I like locals supporting local artists.
Dislikes: Rude people. Segregation & Racism. Crime. Galleries taking 40-50% from an artist. Slow government. Our teams losing to the Yankees, Red Sox and Patriots. Playing of Politics (but, I get it.)
Pricing:
- Original 24×36 – $2,300-$3,000
- Original 36×48 – $42,00 – $5,000
- Live Painting Appearances – $500-$700
- Limited Edition Prints – $25-$85
Contact Info:
- Email:contactaoart5@gmail.com
- Website: AOART5.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/
aoart5 - Facebook: facebook.com/aoart5
- Twitter: twitter.com/aoart5
- Youtube: youtube.com/channel/
UC6mMgoo1b_jDshsm8Jq98TQ
Image Credits
AOART5
AOropeza
AGOropeza
