David Tupper was born in 1968 and grew up in Chula Vista, California. He graduated from the School of the Creative and Performing Arts, attending the SDSU fine arts program, before moving to North Park in uptown San Diego. There he learned to tattoo, exhibiting his paintings at small venues such as the Peanut Gallery, Raw Arts and the Rita Dean Gallery.
David continues to be influenced by his youth spent so close to the California / Mexico border, utilizing bright colors and Hispanic imagery mixed with traditional tattoo and vintage American symbolism. David’s paintings are bright, striking, beautiful and raw. One series of paintings entitled “Chula†incorporates imagery pervasive in the Hispanic culture, particularly those that symbolize masculine pride. Tupper uses imagery found in their culture such as the script found in gang tattoo work, Catholic holy images, and domestic symbols such as roosters and wrought-iron scrollwork. He layers the images in vivid oil paints, scraping and adding more paint until he has the desired effect. While Tupper’s work is reminiscent of traditional Hispanic artwork, his unique style makes them contemporary.
