"I am from a small village - El Manantial, Coahuila - just outside Torreon, Mexico, and came to the U.S. as a shy seven year old. In the eleven years that I have been painting professionally, I have come to realize that my work is defined both by my familial roots in northern Mexico and by the subtle, mystical environment of my adopted home in West Texas. My creative process is immersed in this dual identity; I paint what I feel, that which is me. You will see on canvas the richness of my grandparents' folk tales alongside the adventures of the 'new life' created by my hardworking immigrant parents. Through symbolism, metaphors, and pictorial language, I tell my story."

- René Alvarado, 2004