A native of Mexico uses art to connect with his beloved state of Michoacán. 

For David Guerra, 39, who is serving a life sentence, art has become a beacon of hope inside these prison walls. He uses art to pass the time, to meet people, and to improve his communication skills. 

The artist created a replica of the coat of arms of Michoacán, which is a symbol of the free and sovereign state of Michoacán.

“In the past seven years of my incarceration, this project became my own obsession, being that I didn’t have anyone outside to provide me with a simple picture of my native state of Michoacán,” said Guerra. “In 2021, one of my cellmates was released from prison and then sent me a picture of the shield, I started to meditate and to envision how I was going to lay it out.”  

According to Guerra, this shield highlights his roots, his ancestors prior to the Spaniards’ conquering Mexico. It is a reflection of where his home state stands now. The five-foot-square piece of art gives him a sense of appreciation for all his childhood memories. 

It took the artist approximately one thousand hours over a period of seven months to create such a delicate piece of art. 

“I was so into this shield that I stayed up late at night working all the way to sun up,” said Guerra.

One of the biggest challenges he faced was being able to keep his art clean in an environment that can easily get full of dust. 

The shield was made in a three-dimensional way, using discarded cardboard, white sheets of paper, various color paints, glitter, and a final touch of wax sealer. 

The artist’s imagination goes beyond his roots. He created a modified “Hello Kitty” dressed up in a high school volleyball uniform. 

Guerra made it for one of his cellmate’s daughters. Hello Kitty was made out of regular white sheets of paper, twisted into shapes, glued together, and painted red, white, black, blue, yellow. The eyes are green, the daughter’s favorite color, and accented with glitter. 

On the back of “Hello Kitty,” is the cellmate’s daughter’s last name, “Valenzuela,” and her jersey number, 17.