I created Cabaret Vallarta: Portraits from the Other Side of Paradise to celebrate the people who make Puerto Vallarta’s queer nightlife, performance, and creative community what it is.

I’ve lived in Vallarta for years, and over that time I’ve gotten to know the performers, artists, outsiders, personalities, friends, and beautiful misfits who exist beyond the postcard version of paradise. These are the people I see, know, love, laugh with, and sometimes get into trouble with. They are the characters who give this city its personality.

Through these portraits, I’m interested in looking beyond the public persona and the tourist fantasy to capture something more personal. My work combines bold color, geometric forms, pattern, Mexican imagery, pop culture, and the punk and queer influences that have shaped my own creative life.

The exhibition brings these portraits into Coco Cabaret’s nightlife environment, putting the artwork alongside the people, performances, and community that inspired it.

This project is also about giving something back. Twenty percent of sales from both the original paintings and limited-edition prints supports the Vallarta Gay+ Community Center’s LGBTQ+ mental-health program.

Forget the palm trees. I’m interested in the people.