Raoul De La Sota will demonstrate collage at the June 19 meeting of the Santa Clarita Artists Association (SCAA). This event is free, open to the public and meets at 6:30 pm at Barnes & Noble, 23630 Valencia Blvd.

“For my presentation, the audience will make a small collage. I can supply small (4″ x 6″) boards and lots of remnants. Attendees please bring white glue, a water container, a plastic cup and a middle-size brush,” said De La Sota.

During his childhood, De La Sota had a serious asthma condition and was home schooled until 7th grade. At night, he would draw. His mother drove him out of Los Angeles to Yosemite, the Sequoias and the desert so he could breathe better. Raoul loved the natural landscape and considered it for his subject matter.

After studying at the Los Angeles City College, he received his Masters of Art degree from UCLA. De La Sota was the first Chicano artist to receive a Fulbright Fellowship. A teacher of Mexican art history, Mr. De La Sota’s work focuses on the natural with mythic overtones. He creates watercolors and acrylic works that depict natural landscapes and starry night skies infused with symbols of Aztec and Mexican mythology. Along with his students, he created many murals at LACC, which are on display in the hallways of Da Vinci Hall depicting astronauts, Mother Teresa, Jesse Jackson, and Leonard Da Vinci. For one year, he studied in Peru.

“I was not only awed by the Andes Mountains, but the natives’ interests in the night skies and constellations. This changed my life,” said De La Sota. “Good fortune allowed me to exhibit my work in nine countries and to travel more while I taught full time at Los Angeles City College,”

Come early, standing room only by 6:30. See www.SantaClaritaArtists.org.