Join us for an intimate conversation with artist Joey Chabolla, whose work fuses Latino cultural heritage with queer, body-positive illustration. Joey shares the inspirations behind his signature shading technique, his focus on bearded, muscular physiques, and his commitment to authentic trans masculine representation. Discover how he navigates censorship, commissions, and community in the Dallas queer art scene.

• Joey Chabolla artist
• Queer Latino art
• Homoerotic illustration
• Body positive queer art
• Trans masculine representation
• Dallas queer art scene
• Latino cultural motifs in art
• Art and queer identity
• Social media censorship queer art
• Queer community organizing art

• Joey’s artistic style is deeply influenced by West Dallas’s graffiti culture and prison letter drawings with distinctive grayscale shading techniques.
• His mother’s cake decorating and encouragement played a key role in nurturing his early artistic skills.
• Joey’s queer identity began to emerge during junior high, inspiring early erotic sketches he carefully hid due to family dynamics.
• He celebrates bearded, muscular “bear” bodies in his art as a counterpoint to traditional homoerotic ideals of lean athletic men.
• Incorporating Latino heritage, he reinterprets motifs like Mayan and Aztec patterns into queer leather culture imagery, challenging machismo norms.
• Joey balances creative autonomy and client needs in commissioned work by deeply understanding the subject and adding personal artistic touches.
• He navigates social media censorship by hosting uncensored galleries on his own website and prioritizes technique as a form of vulnerability.
• The Dallas queer art scene presents challenges around inclusion and acceptance of nude, homoerotic art, requiring finding supportive venues.
• Joey deliberately includes trans masculine figures in his art, honoring their transition journeys through body structure and scar depiction.
• His advice to emerging queer artists: practice drawing regularly, embrace your unique perspective, and express yourself unapologetically.

• 00:00 - Introduction and Recording Setup
• 01:00 - Joey’s Cultural Heritage and Artistic Style
• 05:00 - Early Artistic Influences and Family Encouragement
• 08:00 - Queer Identity Emergence and Early Drawings
• 12:00 - Celebration of Bearded Muscular Physiques in Art
• 14:00 - Navigating Eroticism, Vulnerability, and Censorship
• 16:00 - Balancing Commissioned Work and Artistic Vision
• 19:00 - The Dallas Queer Art Scene: Challenges and Opportunities
• 22:00 - Trans Masculine Representation in Joey’s Work
• 25:00 - Latino Cultural Motifs in Queer Art
• 29:00 - Role as Artist and Community Organizer
• 30:30 - Advice for Emerging Queer Artists
• 32:50 - Rapid Fire: Joey’s Artistic Preferences and Inspirations
• 36:10 - Closing Remarks

Joey Chabolla Official Website

Instagram @joey_chabolla

Twitter @joeychabolla

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