Israel Guajardo
Born: Brownsville, Texas – October 31, 1956
Raised: Altus, Oklahoma
Education: Altus Public Schools (Grades 1–12)
College: Southwestern Oklahoma State University – Bachelor of Music Education, plus 17 hours toward a Master’s

Art and photography have been part of my life for as long as I can remember, even if the path wasn’t straightforward.

While studying music in college, I took a few drawing and watercolor classes for fun. Around the same time, I began experimenting with photography. I loved the process—capturing light and shadow, freezing a moment—but back then, it was too expensive to pursue seriously.

After graduation, I spent three years teaching band—two in Boise City, Oklahoma, and one in Campo, Colorado. It was during this time that I met Michael, who would change the direction of my creative life forever. He saw potential in my old college drawings, encouraged me to keep going, and bought me my first set of hot press watercolor paper and rapidograph pens.

One of my first projects was based on photographs I had taken of irises in our backyard. I turned one of those images into a detailed pen-and-ink drawing. For a long time, I believed I would always work in black and white—until a chance conversation at the Amarillo Art Museum. I told a fellow artist I was “probably just scared of color,” and she said with a smile, “Oh, Israel. Just jump into it.”

The leap happened one Christmas when Michael gave me textured paper and colored pastels—basically colored chalk. I taped the paper to a framed piece of glass and started experimenting. Suddenly, my work came alive with color.

As I created more pastel pieces, I realized something unexpected: the photographs I used for reference were strong works of art in their own right. That led me to take a black-and-white photography class, where I learned the technical side—composition, depth of field, focus, ISO—skills that refined my eye.

Pastels remained my main medium for years, with my largest piece measuring 160 by 40 inches—a close-up of a rose’s center. But digital photography changed everything. With modern cameras, printing options, and lower costs once you have the equipment, I was able to embrace photography without hesitation.

Today, I work in both photography and fine art, always looking for ways to blend my love of composition, light, and texture into images that speak beyond the frame.