Mauro de la Tierra is a first generation Mexican American from San Antonio who is a self-taught painter, sculptor, and illustrator. What began with street art has transitioned onto canvas and beyond. With support from his community, and his mentor, Albert Gonzales, De la Tierra became self-employed as a full-time artist in October 2017.

De la Tierra considers himself community-made and is community driven. His work focuses on socio-economic challenges and generational struggles such as the prison industrial complex, poverty, addiction, and the deterioration of the earth. His work captures a side of life that is often vilified and ignored while also making a statement of love for humanity. With the use of spray paint, acrylic paint, and oil paint, De la Tierra creates heavy textures on canvas in a modern and raw style of whimsical and surreal abstract expressionism.

In the same year that De la Tierra launched himself into art full-time, he began leading and collaborating with The Black Sheep Collective; a group of D.I.Y. misfit artist extraordinaires. Together they have organized six pop-up gallery exhibitions and performances. De la Tierra’s artwork has been shown in various news outlets, including La Prensa, Spectrum News, Texas Public Radio and in art galleries including K Space Contemporary, Instituto Cultural de México, and Presa House Gallery. De la Tierra has had five solo exhibitions, his fifth one being at Territory Gallery.