A [TEXT MESSAGE] Conversation With Artist Rosy Cortez
JCPenney, Art, Collaboration, The Inland Empire, Eastside Arthouse, Murals, & Tracing Roots
A [BLANK] Conversation With… is an interview series where guests engage in a three-day conversation via their preferred mode of text-based communication, with no commitments to the length or frequency of their responses.
My first real job was at a JCPenney in the Moreno Valley Mall. It was an objectively boring and somewhat miserable gig (folding clothes… picking up hangers… helping customers lug big items to their cars…) but there were also a few perks, like the small discount at the food court, and the friends I made in the store who also dreamed of something bigger. Rosy Cortez was one such friend.
My memories of the time are vague, but I recall many conversations that served as an escape from it all. While re-folding shirts, we’d challenge each other to pursue our passions. For her at the time it was photography, and for me it was filmmaking. We haven’t really stayed in touch since the MoVal mall days and the great migration from MySpace to Facebook, but its warmed my heart in recent years to see what she’s accomplished as an artist.
I was eager to get back in touch with Rosy to learn about her post-JCPenney path and also (since she’s stayed in the region) figure out how much the area I spent my formative years in has changed.
Now, let’s dive in to my three day text message interview with Rosy Cortez.
Enjoy!
TABLE OF CONVERSATION:
JCPenney, “Murda” Valley, & Portraits
Magical Realism, Collaboration, And Feral Antisocial Artists
Top Secret Projects, Mexican Lotería Cards, & Tracing Roots
A Long Delay, THEE Cheech, & The Inland Empire
LEGEND:
“֍” at the end of a post from one Person A means that the “╰┈➤” at the start of a post from Person B is in direct response
“≫” signifies that someone made a direct response to their own direct response
And a post that begins without one of those icons is new to the main feed.
Note: Since Tim is based in New York, each text is timestamped in Eastern Standard Time. However, certain reactions like “iPhone haha”s and ❤️s exist out of time. We have no way of retrospectively knowing exactly when those buttons were pressed. There have been minor adjustments of the text for clarity.
DAY 1 (Monday 11-6-2023)
Tim Barnes: (1:02PM) Hey Rosy! This is Tim! Welcome to the interview—for real this time! Rosy Cortez: (1:17PM) Omg haha! Hi Tim!!!! Thank you for having me! [Tim gives this an iPhone "❤️"] (1:23PM) I am so sorry I thought you were spam last time lol [Tim gives this an iPhone "HaHa"] (1:23PM) How are you old friend? Tim: (1:23PM) I’m doing well!(1:24PM) I have very vague memories of our JC Penney days, but what I do recall is that you were already there and immediately made a miserable job seem oddly fun. I think you were more focused on photography at the time? Anyway, it’s been awesome seeing what you’re up to these days because it makes a town like Moreno Valley — which can seem pretty miserable — suddenly seem oddly fun as well. It’s a skill of yours! Where do you think that comes from? (1:30PM) Sorry, I really just dove in to the deep questions right off the bat Rosy: (1:34PM) Same! It was such a long time ago! But I remember laughing all the time. I do remember we connected over creative endeavors as well i was super passionate about photo and you were into film I think. (1:36PM) And no worries I love deep questions! I ask myself that question all the time actually lol (1:42PM) I do think it goes back to childhood my parents were over protective and also I didn’t have the latest toys/entertainment. So spent a lot of time in my own imagination for fun. That sounds so depressing lol but it truly made me resourceful and creative. Tim: (1:43PM) Oh no! I had a bit of that as well. Grew up in South Central L.A. Wasn’t allowed outside… really kind of learned how to socialize from television. RIP Regis Philbin (1:46PM) But as vague as that JC Penney time was, I think your enthusiasm for the arts gave me the right fuel at the right time. It was my first job, and was at the end of my senior year of high school if I remember correctly. And the sort of “of course!” vibe when it came to creative things was so important. We’d be folding clothes or whatever but be having these exciting conversations (1:46PM) Really weird time. Myspace was still huge… That “1234” song by Feist was all the rage (1:54PM) Did you grow up in Moreno Valley? Rosy: (2:24PM) I’m happy I could add fuel to the fire! 🥹 I grew up in Anaheim but moved to the Murda (as they call it) as a sophomore in High school. I feel like I did most of my growing up here in Moreno Valley. [Tim gives this an iPhone "❤️"] Tim: (2:34PM) How was that shift from Anaheim? Rosy: (3:12PM) It was shocking at first but I adjusted pretty quickly and made good friends that im still close with to this day. Tim: (3:25PM) Moreno Valley and the Inland Empire are often hard for me to describe to people. We moved there my last year of middle school. It was the first time we lived somewhere that I could totally be fine wandering outside, but by then I had no interest! How do you describe it to people? And how is it different from Anaheim ? lol Rosy: (5:23PM) I always say its an hour inland from LA and an hour away from desert/mountains/beach cus most people have no idea where it is. I used to be negative about it but now I speak highly of it. It feels peaceful and lots of nature spots I go to. There’s also cool different downtowns hangout spots. And I always talk about its blossoming arts scene as well. Where other areas feel hard to break into already established spaces. Here feels like we are in the middle of creating that art scene. It’s exciting so I love it now. Tim: (5:35PM) Seeing your posts about the burgeoning art scene there has changed my old view of it as well. You mentioned earlier how people call it “Murda Valley” etc. I love that you’re at peace with it. So much of youth is about rejecting your home town. (5:35PM) I want to circle back to JC Penney for a moment to talk about Jason. I don’t remember if that’s how he spelled his name. But he’s become a bit of a myth in my mind. Another deeply creative person we worked with who sadly is no longer with us. I remember him introducing me to the work of David Lynch. Do you have any memories of him? And how has your creative path evolved since that job? Rosy: (5:48PM) Yes! Jason! Awe man he was a good dude! I think we had connected over David Lynch films too and he was musically inclined too! Actually just got a flashback one of the last times I hungout with you…we all took a coworker’s trip to SD with Jason and Naomi to watch Stomp! Man that was actually a whole creative team right there! Naomi was the one that inspired me to paint! She was so good! [Tim gives this an iPhone "❤️"] Tim: (5:50PM) Yes!! Wow. That was a lot of fun. Now that I think about it, I was really lost at the time because I had no clear plans about college or career beyond vaguely wanting to make films. We were such a fun weird group. Remember how “Closing Time” somehow always ended up playing around closing time? (5:51PM) Also, do you remember Jason’s last name? I wanted to see what there was of him on the internet a while back but couldn’t find him by just searching “Cool dude named Jason from Moreno Valley” Rosy: (8:06PM) Haha “Clooosiiing time”! That was the best time [Tim gives this an iPhone "HaHa"] (8:16PM) I don’t remember his last name unfortunately! It’s on the tip of my tongue tho if I remember ill send it to you [Tim gives this an iPhone "❤️"] (8:17PM) Caraway!! Tim: (8:17PM) Yes!!! (8:20PM) Such a great guy. Wish I could log into the old MySpace world just to see what song he picked for his page (8:35PM) Where was your next adventure after JC Penney? (8:41PM) I promise I’ll stop saying “JCPenney” tomorrow [Rosy gives this an iPhone "HaHa"] Rosy: (9:19PM) So after JCPenney I left to work at Picture People then Lifetouch Portaits. I finished the photo program and art degree and the community college. Then took off to get my Bachelor’s of Fine arts from Cal State Long Beach I was torn between continuing with photo or painting but ultimately chose a degree in figurative painting. I figured if I could paint people I could paint anything, That was probably the next big milestone there. Tim: (9:42PM) What’s it like at those family portrait businesses? (Feel free to respond tomorrow if it’s getting too late by the way). Was there a learning curve or was the process pretty natural for you? (9:43PM) Also — last thing about JCPenny I swear! You took some cool photos there. I remember a pretty weird one with my face next to mannequin heads
DAY 2 (Tuesday 11-7-2023)
Tim: (12:41PM) [REDACTED] *A FUN DISCOVERY ABOUT JASON* [Rosy gives this an iPhone "!!"] (2:26PM) And to add to my last question from yesterday: what‘a the hardest part about painting people? Rosy: (2:59PM) Family portraits felt pretty natural actually. But I struggled with speediness. I loved taking my time but we were required to shoot an entire family or crying baby within 15minutes and then use kinda icky sales tactics. (3:00PM) Omg yes that was a fun picture. I will find it! I know I have it somewhere… (3:14PM) The hardest thing about painting people is just about everything. Not only capturing likeness, we are drawing proportions, mixing color, lighting, symmetry and never mind if they are at a strange angle. I still think it’s one of the most difficult things to paint but one of the most rewarding. I don’t know what it is about people, especially portraits, it really fuels me. Even if it’s slightly off theres an essence you can capture and it can mean everything to that person or their loved ones. It’s also so interesting to me how people love the idea of seeing themselves in art. It’s different than a photo, there’s love and time put into it and it comes across. It’s literally one of my favorite things everrrrrr Tim: (3:37PM) Who are some artists that have inspired you over the years? (4:07PM) I love this one of yours:
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Rosy: ╰┈➤ (4:07PM) Thank you! It’s a sentimental one for me. Probably because it’s my mother. But I also poured sooooo much effort into it! Labor of love in its meaning and actually production of it. [Tim gives this an iPhone "❤️"] (4:51PM) I have many inspirations from different eras and styles they include: Frida Kahlo, Lucien Freud, Joaquín Sorolla, Francis Bacon, Jenny Saville, Emilia Cruz, Allison Hueman, Mer Young, Sean Cheetham, Judithe Hernandez..to name a few. Look any of them up and they don’t seem related! But I like to use elements of their art to inform mine. [Tim gives this an iPhone "❤️"] Tim: (5:01PM) There’s a great balance of realism and the surreal in it. I’m scrolling through your work and seeing some connections to the artists you mentioned. But what stands out the most to me is your embrace of collaboration. Has collaboration always been important to you? I always imagine artists having and wanting a singular vision. But in this piece, for instance — collaboration led to amazing results:
Rosy: (5:43PM) Thanks! That was a fun one too! Our key vibe we were going for was magical realism, so im happy that comes across. I always had that image of the loner artist in her studio only emerging to show up at an art-show all feral from being antisocial. But I’ve learned there’s no one way of turning out good work, only what works for each individual artist. I have embraced the art of collaboration and I think that has a lot to do with the Eastside Arthouse (the coworking art studio I am a part of). Collaboration is kinda the backbone here. It’s easy to see the power that happens when you join forces. But it can really work if everyone is open. Not every artist likes to let go of their vision. It’s like a delicate dance of when to push for your own ideas and when to let go. Tim: (5:47PM) What’s going on in the “Bloodline” piece for you? Am I reading into it to see it as commentary on colonialism? Like Christianity crashing into the Americas like a meteor? ֍ (5:49PM) --
[Rosy gives this an iPhone "HaHa"] Rosy: ╰┈➤ (⌛ THE NEXT DAY -- WEDNESDAY 11-8 @ 9:14PM) Oooh! I like that interpretation! Haven’t heard that one before! We purposely made it vague enough that we wanted our viewer to make up any story! So you’re technically correct! We pulled from many ideas we did think a lot about or *roots* and being from both indigenous and spaniard backgrounds. We thought about who we are at our core and our inner glow. We thought about following your heart/passion (as we did with art). There two figures overlapping one hesitant and other about to reach for it. [Tim gives this an iPhone "❤️"]
DAY 2.5 (Wednesday 11-8-2023)
Rosy: (12:40PM) [REDACTED] *ROSY EXPLAINS WHY SHE WON'T BE ABLE TO RESPOND UNTIL MUCH LATER IN THE DAY* Tim: (12:41PM) Yeah! Totally fine (12:41PM) Hope it all goes well! Rosy: (12:43PM) [REDACTED] *ROSY EXPLAINS THE TOP SECRET REASON FURTHER* [Tim gives this an iPhone "!!"] Tim: (12:46) [REDACTED] *TIM POINTS OUT A PERSONAL CONNECTION THAT COULD HELP WITH THINGS LIKE THE TOP SECRET PROJECT IN QUESTION* [Rosy gives this an iPhone "!!"] Rosy: (9:15PM) [BACK ON THE TOPIC OF THE "BLOODLINE" ART PIECE] Also fun lil symbolism we used reference of Mexican lotería cards. Like we created a story using some of those iconic images (9:15PM) --
Tim: (9:35PM) I’m endlessly fascinated by how incoming religions transform cultures and how those cultures transform the incoming religions. I think that’s the tension I see coming across in those figures. How did the friction between the indigenous and Spanish manifest in your life, if at all? ֍ Rosy: ╰┈➤ (10:12PM) Spanish colonialism has made it difficult to discover or trace back indigenous roots. Then being kids of immigrants, there’s even more loss of understanding of culture. It’s only recently that I’ve been on a personal journey to reconnect. ֍ Tim: ╰┈➤ (10:28PM) Was there pressure from your parents for you to “Americanize” yourself in any way? It’s not the same — but I feel a similar loss of not being able to connect specific threads. Both of our cultures are modern inventions in that way. How far are you able to trace your roots? And where do the cutoffs pop up? I’m sure they’re confusing and troublesome ֍ Rosy: ╰┈➤ (⌛ THE NEXT DAY -- THURSDAY 11-9 @ 10:15PM) Maybe not pressure but it kinda just happened naturally I would say. Tracing roots only went as far as one great grand parent’s name. It’s frustrating cus I want to know more 😫 Tim: (10:53PM) I’m on the east coast and might not stay up late enough to see/respond to your answers, but if you’re okay with it maybe we can finish this up tomorrow to balance things out? No worries if that’s not doable Rosy: (11:18PM) Yes! Sounds good! Ill have more time tomorrow [Rosy gives this an iPhone "!!"]
DAY 3 (Thursday 11-9-2023)
Rosy: (9:24PM) Omg hi tim so sorry i stayed up working on the [REDACTED] 😮💨 Tim: (9:31PM) That’s great! Haha, sorry if this interview is getting too complicated Rosy: (9:32PM) Oh no my schedule is just funky these past couple of days (9:34PM) I think it’s such an innovative format I’ve been telling everyone around me “im on a text interview rn guys” lol no one asked i just keep telling them Tim: (9:35PM) Hahahaha (9:38PM) Yeah, I want to write a post about what I’ve learned from doing this and also why I do it. I still don’t know the answer to that last part yet. I guess I just want to elevate this mode of communication we do every day. I think that being both young and old enough to remember the time before texts and instant messaging keeps me aware of how weird it is that you can silently ask someone a question miles away while you’re in an elevator or something ֍ (9:41PM) Beyond my questions from last night — I want to know about your day with Cheech Marin! I just saw your TikTok highlighting his visit of the Arthouse ֍֍ Rosy: ╰┈➤ (10:19PM) Thats so true! Maybe thats why I am a fan of it! (10:20PM) You should definitely write about your findings! ╰┈➤╰┈➤ (10:28PM) Meeting THEE Cheech cool! We had been wanting for him to visit the Arthouse for so long! The day finally came and we all had to remain calm lol He actually met the owner of the arthouse at the white house and scheduled a visit after hearing what we do. He was super chill and we actually drove him around to see more murals he was super kind and very impressed with us! That was a highlight of the year for sure! [Tim gives this an iPhone "!!"] Tim: (11:20PM) Incredible. Well, it’s getting late here again. But this has been so much fun, Rosy! I’m really happy to see all you’ve accomplished. And this conversation has helped me feel a little more connected to the Inland Empire again. As someone who kind of ran away from it all, it’s nice to see that you’ve cut through the noise to collaborate with local artists and make our home town vibrant and feel alive. ֍ Rosy: (4:36PM) Thank you! Im happy you hear that! If your ever in the area again Id love to give you and your spouse a mural and Cheech tour ☺️ [Tim gives this an iPhone "❤️"]
END OF INTERVIEW
FUN FACT: We did get that tour. Part of why communication was so sparse on my end that last day is because I was packing, cleaning, and organizing who would watch my dog ahead of an early flight to California for my sister’s wedding. The day after — I was able to catch up with Rosy and get the Cheech tour.
It’s amazing what Rosy and the Eastside Arthouse is doing in the Inland Empire. And it’s nice looking upon the region I once dreamed of escaping with pride and hope.
