Elidé Sanchez is a proud Chicana artist who operates within the Inland Empire. All of her art pieces are constructed from her cultural roots. Elidé tries to implement fragments of inspiration from music or world cultures and channels real-life hardships into her creative process. She uses oil, acrylic and spray paint to visualize the highs and lows of her life. Aside from her personal art pieces, she has also made various murals for local businesses and non-profit organizations.
She discovered her love of painting through Riverside’s art scene. Elidé frequently attended the monthly art walks in the heart of downtown Riverside. Her interests led her to art supply store Urge Palette Art Supplies, where she was exposed to a diverse array of murals and canvas painters. The downtown art gallery and supply store is a safe haven for artists and enthusiasts. Elidé displayed her pieces in the store’s Pain Sugar Gallery and her artwork made a strong impression on local Riverside artists.
Most importantly, Jesus Castañeda invited her to a collaborative mural featuring various artists around the city. Their artistic expedition took place in the heat of the pandemic inside the historic Riverside Fox Theater which was boarded up during the racial protests of 2020. Riverside’s art district wanted talented artists to paint anything relating to the complexities that 2020 brought, so Elidé painted Zack de la Rocha (lead singer of Rage Against the Machine) belting out powerful lyrics from the funk rock ballad “Guerrilla Radio.” The mural depicts a call to action that emphasizes the need for change.
One of Elidé’s most personal pieces highlights her two alien-like sphynx cats, Benito and Gizmo. The work is plastered on a wooden panel with an engine fueled by acrylic paint and Elidé dubbed the acrylic work as a “self-portrait with my children.” The title refers to Benito and Gizmo as her children because she feels connected to the furless felines. The two cats have provided unconditional love to Elidé in her lowest moments. Her painting depicts them as green glowing gods and shows that all animals are powerful beings in rhythm with the spiritual realm. The trio are placed near a bed of flowers with eyes in the center of the petals with the eye symbolism used to represent her past pets. She feels only eternal love towards her old pets as they can reciprocate the effect.
The latest piece by the Inland Empire artist, titled “Friends With Fear,” depicts her rational fears of the unknown. “Friends With Fear” is a psychedelic painting featuring Elidé holding a cracked green skull. The broken green bone represents the inevitability of death and she holds it in the palm of her hand without any sense of fear. The artwork represents how Elidé has made peace with life’s unpredictability and how she resolves to make every moment count.
You can follow Elidé and her creative journey on her Instagram. Her profile is home to many beautiful pieces, including the ones mentioned above, and spotlights her expansive mural work. Elidé holds her mural catalog close to her heart and hopes that, one day, her murals and paintings will spark another person’s passion for art.
Instagram: @eilddeeee
