Here's my personal page!  Here you can read ALL (well, almost all) about me.  My full name is Raul Eduardo Aguilar Pulido.  Family members call me by my middle name but I don't answer (It sounds way too edwardian and romantic, so I go by Raul).  By the time you read this, I probably just turned 29.  (Born May 27, 1969).  Originally I'm from Mexico City, but I also lived in Chiapas, my parent's home state.  I am thankful that during my formative years I was able to travel all over Mexico, Central America , and Asia.  Moving from one place to another has influenced my art and personal life in a very positive way.  I believe it makes me appreciate other cultures better. Currently I live in San Francisco, where I plan to stay regardless of evil Governor Wilson and his draconian immigration laws.  Another reason to stay here is my partner Shawn, my dog Sam, and all the wonderful people I have encountered since I moved to the US back in 1985.  That's me on top, in front of a work in progress.
 

The things I like are many.   As you probably noticed, I  love visual art.  In the past I've also explored other artistic venues like creative writting and performance.  Look at my literary links to see authors and books I like.  Some favorite visual artists are: Remedios Varo, Leonora Carrington, Leonor Fini, all the Mexican muralists (Tamayo, Siqueiros, Rivera), Frida Kahlo, and Rodolfo Morales, to name a few. I also like Asian art (specially Indian miniatures), African art, anything considered "primitive" and all the western art considered classic.  Baroque and Rococo styles are also great.  Stained glass windows, illuminated manuscripts, fashion and costume are a great souce of inspiration.  I also get inspired by Mexican popular art, Prehispanic art, little handmade toys, religious art (even tough I'm totally unreligious) and Latin American folk art in general.   Things I do in my spare time:  I  can spend hours at a library, a well stocked book store, or an arts supply store.  My favorite past times are going out with friends to the movies, art show openings and restaurants.  I also like quiet evenings at home watching campy videos and cooking dinner for my loved ones.  I eat everything, but try to stay away from warm blooded animals. (I eat fisth and shellfish --  can't give up Sushi).  I also like good authentic Mexican food, and spicy Indian and Thai.  Italian is also good, and fresh salads with the works.  I try to stay away from fast food (but a lot of times I am too weak to resist fried potato products).

The things I don't like: I'm not that crazy about watching other people playing sports.  I get bored for some reason.  I don't like people that are narrow minded, arrogant, or people that are cruel to animals.  I dislike fanatism and other forms of "sheep mentality".  I hate it when complete strangers call me "amigo", specially if Spanish is not their native tongue.  I can't stand furniture covered with plastic.  I've never done any kind of drug, and drink very little -- and I don't like it when others assume I do, just because I'm an artist!   Visual art and artists I don't like: Warhol (he was probably a great person to know, but not a very good visual artist), Jeff Koons (he is full of himself). Picasso is a grey area.  First of all, I think he is overrated.  Some of his work is beautiful,  but I don't think he is such the genious -- all he did was steal African art when he "created" cubism.  I don't like a lot of other modern artists.  Extremely sweet arts and crafts make me sick.  I would never buy a mass produced art poster -- I would rather save my money and buyoriginalart from an emerging artist I like.  I dislike images that degrade women, and stereotypes.   Most art from the malls of America I find boring.  What's the point of having something that everybody has? (And how many Thomas Kinkade galleries can you possibly need?).

So...what else can I tell you so you are not bored to tears? The images to the right and left are from a paining I made.  I learned to paint by myself, doing lots of experimenting in order to find my own style.  I also do installations, collages and lately more computer art.  The only "formal" art training I had was a semester of drawing in a comunnity college.  I have a business school degree in computer applications that is really useless.  (Hey, it's true)  Currenlty I'm taking subject GRE's and CLEP examinations in order to get acreditation from a credit bank....that way I'll get a liberal arts degree some time before he end of the century.  As you can imagine, it's taking me forever. Then It's off  to graduate school, where I plan to major in art history, museum studies or art conservation.  Maybe all three.  Why examinations? Why not just go to school and take classes? Well, to be frank: I am not that crazy about higher education institutions.  Art schools, specially.    It is my experience that a lot of schools are more interested in making money than providing the best education to their students.  Not to mention some factors that have more to do with prestige than education.  Add to that the fact that most immigrants don't qualify for finacial aid... that most art schools only teach you about western art....exhorbitant fees....you get the idea!  It makes me agree with Mark Twain when he said "I don't let schooling get on the way of my education".  To me school is a good souce of knowledge, but is definitely not the only one.

So, why did I named my on line art report "Sugar Skull"? Calaveras de azucar are little candies you can buy in Mexico during the day of the dead holiday.  I find these shinny, jewel like candies in the shape of skulls very cute.  My art has a lot to do with things we may find attractive and repulsive at the same time.  I also heard that in the US rural south, when you where either gay or different you where referred to as having "sugar in the bones".  I wanted this site to be different from other art sites I've seen.  The internet has given me the opportunity to meet people in ways I otherwise could not have.  In the future I want to give awards to personal sites I consider original and different to everything I ever seen.  Please stay tuned!