Sea Iguana in Mullet Bay Painting

St. Maarten resident artist Jimmy Lucero was born and raised in Santa Barbara, CA. A naturally gifted artist, Jimmy was studying oil painting from Ivan Webster by the age of 10. In college, Jimmy was heavily influenced by his art instructor Manuel Unzueta who encouraged his interest in Mexican Muralists and in figure drawing. During this time, Jimmy volunteered and taught mural painting at La Casa De La Raza, a center for Latino youths. He had no idea that thirty years later, he would be doing similar mural paintings with youths on the island of St. Maarten. During those thirty years, Jimmy obtained a B.S. in Biology from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, worked in science labs at UC Davis and Stanford University, got married and had two children. In 1992 Jimmy and his family moved to Salt Lake City, UT. Jimmy obtained his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in June of 2001 at the University of Utah. Upon completion of his Master of Fine Arts in 2003, Jimmy was awarded the Howard Clark Art Scholarship for most outstanding graduate work and has been a full-time professional artist ever since. He teaches painting and drawing at both the University of Utah and Westminster College. Jimmy has retired from both universities and is painting full time in St. Maarten. Jimmy grew into his present role as a social activist during the 18 months he spent researching immigration issues and producing 16 pieces for his controversial show at Art Access entitled "La Migra" which focused on the plight of undocumented workers, their families, and the construction of the wall between the US and Mexico. Director Ruth Lubbers was quoted saying "It may have been the most provocative show Art Access has hosted to date". He has been invited to speak about his passions for art and social access at numerous forums including Kimball Art Center, "Avant-garde Artists" Culture Bytes, Black Box Theater, and Utah Museum of Fine Arts. The Salt Lake Tribune newspaper headlined Jimmy as the “New Face of Arts and Activism in Utah”. He incorporates lectures about diversity in his teaching and introduces students to non-traditional minority and women artists. Since moving to St. Maarten in December of 2012, Jimmy has participated in a number of group and one-man shows on both the Dutch and French sides of the island. He is a featured artist of the online gallery Saatchi Arts Nautical Vibes: New Seascapes.