Alvero Morales, the Artist Known as Ugi
 Robbie Walker Okamoto - Baja Times
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| | , the Artist Known as Ugi
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“I became an artist by accident.”
Alvero Morales, better known as Ugi, is a well-known artist in northern Baja. His signature paintings are outsized flowers, particularly roses, executed with bold strokes and strong colors on canvases large and small. His is a distinctive style, one that appeals to many; his works are found in numerous homes up and down the Pacific coast.
What was the accident that led him to painting?
“I met my wife about 17 years ago. She was the artist. I had never held a brush nor ever drew a picture that I can recall. I was actually a waiter when we first started seeing each other and, unfortunately, caught up in drugs and alcohol. My addictions put our relationship in jeopardy, so I finally decided to get help.
“I went to the U.S. for rehab. My counselor suggested I paint in order to keep my mind busy as I went through various withdrawal stages. I started painting at my home in my free time – in between AA meetings, counseling sessions, English language classes – and the painting did keep my mind busy. My wife - she was still my girlfriend at the time - was a hairdresser back then, and she started taking my paintings to her beauty shop, and people started buying them.
“It felt good to sell my paintings, though I thought that her customers bought them as a way to help us. But then, I started getting commissions. And one customer told my wife that I needed to find an art teacher to help me develop my talent.”
Ugi found a teacher in their Seal Beach community. After the third lesson, when he still had not painted a stroke of the still life tableau, the teacher gently suggested that he “did not have it.” Discouraged, Ugi returned home, only to be urged by his girlfriend to return with his paintings to show the teacher.
“My teacher looked at my art, and spent the next three and a half years helping me develop my style. It’s very different from her style, but as she gave me the freedom to paint my way, she also gave me confidence in my art.”
Ugi eventually began to grow tired from all that had to be crammed into each day, so he decided to move back to Mexico, choosing northern Baja because it allowed him to continue to paint with his teacher. The commute from Rosarito to Seal Beach was long, especially since he did not have a car and had to rely on public transportation. After a year, though, he finally felt ready to leave his teacher. At that point, he started participating in shows in northern Baja, and started to develop a name for himself.
Why roses?
“When I was a child in Puerto Vallarta, my mother worked in a bordello. Every day when I was about 6 years old, it was my job to go and buy flowers for all the ladies. I would go to a nearby park where an old man would carefully cut the roses one-by-one, depending on the color that was wanted. He was slow and deliberate, so I had time to carefully and closely observe each flower. Those colors and shapes are in my mind. Roses are a difficult flower to paint, but not for me.”
Where does the name Ugi come from?
“My counselor all those ten long years had a pin that spelled out U-G-I. It stands for ‘Universal God Incorporated’ and signifies the fact that God partners with each of us in everything we do. It’s very spiritual and practical at the same time. I always liked that idea, and decided that since God is my partner, He’ll help me with my art.
“It was amazing! As soon as I started signing my paintings as Ugi, my art started selling. When six years ago we decided to open a gallery, my wife and I went through many, many names. She’s the one who had the idea to call it the Ugi Gallery.”
Ugi believes firmly in the power of positive thinking. The Ugi Gallery, at km. 30, right next door to Cha Cha’s, features works in a variety of styles by a number of local artists, including Ugi’s wife, Janet Young. The website, www.BajaArtist.com also features the gallery.
Robbie Walker Okamoto lives in Baja, and can be reached at robbiesw(at)hotmail.com. |
Vallarta Weddings
Vallarta Living | Art Talk | November 2008 
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