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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Horror film to start, end Saturday in Talent ... Ticket availability ... Ticket availability ... Horror film to start, end Saturday in Talent ... Ticket availability ... Ticket availability ... ART Artistic efforts move from graffiti to canvas Mayor Stromberg buys painting, pays homage to LIFEArt painter Chavez Comment By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Follow @@Joe_Zavala99 DailyTidings.com By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Follow @@Joe_Zavala99 Posted Jun. 22, 2016 at 2:00 AM By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Follow @@Joe_Zavala99 Posted Jun. 22, 2016 at 2:00 AM » Social News Ashland Mayor John Stromberg has an interest in first-generation Americans because that's what both his parents were. His mother was born in Italy and his father’s family hailed from Sweden. So when he hears about young people attempting to charge up that same hill — especially ambitious, talented youths such as LIFEArt youth gallery manager Adrian Chavez — Stromberg’s first instinct is to lend a helping hand. “That first-generation kid is living in two worlds,” he said, “and they’re usually really motivated and bright and involved.” Now, Stromberg has proof of Chavez’ motivation and talent hanging on a wall in his office — a two-dimensional painting of a striding fox, elongated and partially deconstructed with both its furry exterior and compacted innards illustrated in alternating sections. Stromberg saw an earlier version of the acrylic hanging in the LIFEArt youth gallery studio in Medford during a visit in May and was blown away by the imagery. He wasn’t sure what to make of the painting, but he knew he wanted to have it. It was only a happy coincidence when he noticed the artist’s name. Chavez was one of three guests on Stromberg’s television show “Town Hall with Mayor John Stromberg” back in November, on an episode titled, “Bright Prospects.” Stromberg wanted to buy the painting on the spot, but learned it was already spoken for. Chavez agreed to paint another, however. He got to work on the 18- by 24-inch work in late May, finished — he estimates it took about 26 hours to complete — on June 10 and hand-delivered it to Stromberg’s office the next day. The new version is titled “Natural Depth” and is very similar to the original. “At the old gallery that we used to have there was this really elongated canvas that someone donated a while ago,” Chavez said. “And it was this really irregular shape and nobody really knew what to do with it, so I kind of took it on myself as a challenge to see what I could do with it. “I’ve always found it interesting, the anatomy of things, because everything’s so similar. It’s like the same kind of structure with everyone and I think it’s kind of cool that everyone has that kind of connection with everyone. So I kind of wanted to do a piece that shows the whole structure of a fox.” Chavez, 17, said the picture in his mind’s eye is slightly different from the finished product, but that’s all part of the creative process. “You always have an idea formed in your head, but it’s never put on the canvas the way it’s originally envisioned because as you go you make a lot of changes. There are things you change along the way as you go. Say, you’re doing one thing and you have an idea but you think it’ll look better another way so you have to change it.” It’s easy to see why Stromberg would be drawn to Chavez after hearing his story. In December of 2014, Chavez was shopping for spray cans at Central Art Supply in Medford when he was approached by his former soccer coach Phil Ortega, whom he did not recognize. Chavez’s plan was to use the spray cans to tag graffiti on buildings — at the time it was his only artistic outlet — and at first he thought Ortega was there to bust him. Instead, Ortega had a proposition: why not ditch the spray cans and come check out LIFEArt (Live, Inspire, Freedom of Expression). A few months later, Chavez was managing the youth gallery, a position he’s held for about eight months now. Founded by Ortega in 2009 as a place for at-risk students to flex their creative muscle, LIFEArt has since expanded its mission. “Yes, we create art for kids,” Ortega explained during his own appearance on Stromberg’s show in February, “but more than that, we develop leaders.” Now, explains Chavez, 15 to 20 professionals spend time at the LIFEArt Gallery and Cultural Center mentoring some 150 students. Chavez had his own mentor initially, but now he’s a mentor himself. Stromberg was so inspired by Chavez and Ortega, he wanted to visit the LIFEArt gallery, and when he contacted Chavez about buying the painting, Chavez was floored. “I was freaking out, man,” Chavez said. “I was so happy.” Chavez wasn’t the only one who benefited from the arrangement. Stromberg saw it as an opportunity to add some personality to his office and honor the can-do spirit that Chavez and Ortega represent. “All the art in my office I had inherited, except one piece I bought … a couple years ago and a piece of photography by my older daughter,” he said. “And I thought, I think it’s time that I express some of my own taste in this thing. “I haven’t talked to (Chavez) about the meaning of (the painting). I’m expecting that this will reveal itself to me maybe over years. But what I invested in was Adrian and the quality of his character and his vision, so I’m going to learn about that. It’s also honoring Phil Ortega and the whole group out there that make LIFEArt such a vibrant place that is making a spot for young people to go to and be involved in things that are really positive. And I know from having a grandson who has become a teenager that the world that these young people that age are taking on is really daunting. You have to be able to walk your own path through all this stuff in a way that I didn’t have to at all when I was a kid.” And that, Stromberg said, is something that should be recognized. “That’s exactly what we need in these times. You take something that starts out, ‘Oh poor me,’ and all that, and (Ortega) didn’t blink. He just turned it right around and made something positive and out of that created the action of re-framing that situation. He created something that has helped all these young people. It’s a wonderful piece of creativity, of resourcefulness, innovation, and that’s what we need and that’s what I wanted to support and honor.” Joe Zavala is a reporter for the Ashland Daily Tidings. Reach him at 541-821-0829 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @Joe_Zavala99. By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Follow @@Joe_Zavala99 DailyTidings.com By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Follow @@Joe_Zavala99 Posted Jun. 22, 2016 at 2:00 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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