Hector D. Llamas, Artist
Born in Pittsburg California, “The Bay Area” near Oakland, Martinez and San Francisco CA. Hector David Llamas Aguilar Jr, signs his art Hector D. Llamas and sometimes H. D. Aguilar.
Hector was raised in the small border town of San Luis Rio Colorado Sonora (Mexico). He lived there until his late teens and later went on to study in the United States. He earned an Associate degree in Arizona Western Collage. He always enjoyed art, and even though some of his work was published and he sold drawings and paintings throughout college. He never thought he would make a living at it, so he focused his energy on other things. His goal was to become law enforcement like his father, in fact, his studies focused in Criminal Justice and Sociology.
Mid way through his Criminal Justice courses he took his first art class as an elective, drawing 1 with Mr. Tomkins. This professor encouraged Hector to take other art classes, and offered him a job as an assistant. He also hired him as an assistant at his ceramic studio in “old town” Yuma. Here he was exposed to art events, shows, seminars, artist collaborations and much more. Everything Hector experienced gave him the push he needed to change focus and redirect his goals. This time with art in mind.
After graduating with his associates degree, Hector moved to Tempe AZ and attended Arizona State University. After two long laborious and rigorous years he received his Bachelor of Fine Arts with an emphasis in print making, drawing, painting and teaching. Through the two years at the University he had several jobs, one of which, became the influence in his future art concepts. He worked at Zegura Publishing Company in Tempe, AZ, and while working closely with Professor Zegura and John Atlamire “Master Printmaker” he learned firsthand hand how meticulous and demanding printmaking was as an art form.
On his own, Hector started incorporating as many techniques as he could into his artwork. Using the looseness of mediums like acrylic paint with an abstract approach, and the rigidness of crosshatching with wax pencil to create volume and texture, incorporating clear coats in-between mediums to combine others like oil pastes with acrylic paints, and silk-screening inks and anything ells that would give his desired effect. To this day, Hector uses mixed media in his art. He never stops learning, adapting and experimenting. He says “I try and learn from everyone I meet because you never know when something will spark my imagination”.
Framing was the component that brought all of Hector’s mediums together. He has been framing his own artwork since he was in college. He held a job framing while he worked at Zegura’s studio. He learned to love the extra level of presentation framing brought to his art.
After a short period of time he was managing Arts Alive framing Studio and showing his artwork in the gallery, along with more than 50 other local and international artists. By 2005 he was Gallery Director and Framing Manager. In 2009 he played a big part in staring Think Art Gallery, creating a new gallery with a recognized innovative model. Fine art from local and international artists for and extraordinary framing "Think Fine Art". Hector has worked endlessly with artist and designers alike to grow this gallery into one of leading places for original art and custom framing in the valley of the sun.
For the last 16 years Hector D. Llamas has acquired a modest yet innate reputation with firsthand experience of the art world from a unique perspective. From some of the best interior designer in Arizona to an endless diversity of artist and art collectors.