Applying wild colors with fervent brushwork, Efrain Cruz paints with an intensity well beyond the norm. Soaked with spirituality, deep-rooted history and self-exploration, Cruz pours all of himself into each piece, while remaining a modest and soft-spoken individual. “I paint of my people and from my people, my family, my friends, and God because He is special and they believe in me,” says Cruz. “My life in Mexico gave a brilliant stimulation to a life of painting.”

He works from a procession of journal entries that capture his memories and inventive imagery as they flow from within. Fantastic characters of joyous couples, religious iconography and guitar players dwell in this imaginative world. Cruz’s influences have been his hometown of Veracruz, Mexico and his mother. She has been a powerful force in his art, the memory of her gracious and warm nature urging him to experience each moment completely. Cruz currently lives and works in Valdosta, Georgia.