My name is Jessica Edith Cerda, aka Erotic Rat. I am a 22-year-old Chicana representing mi raza, mi arte, and my City of Santa Ana. My passion in life is art. It’s the process of creation that allows me to stay focused, determined, patient, ambitious, motivated, and even to heal through the energy that carries throughout my own style. I try to capture the essence of expression of my own personal experiences through my art.
“Mi Vida Loca” is a piece where the only medium applied was graphite pencil on an 18 x 24 inch paper, framed. Respectfully, paying homage to my ancestors in tribute, to the creation and destruction of the energy embodied today as an artist, the eldest daughter (La mas grande), a sister (una hermana), a granddaughter (nieta), an aunt (tía), a cousin (tu prima). Ranging from all kinds of faces and memories that mean a lot to me and my upbringings desde mi pueblito muy querido San Sebastián el Grande, Guadalajara, Jalisco, México hasta Santa Ana, Orange County, California. I also incorporated a piece of ‘San Sebas’ into my piece by illustrating the saint named after the village San Sebastián, Jalisco hasta Santa Ana, California.
I was originally born and raised in the city of Santa Ana, “The Heart of Orange County”, that I pay homage to, heavily inspiring my art style. In this piece, The Santa Ana Water Tower represents the city where my parents decided to post up in the States and gave birth at 15, to the eldest of 5, La Primera. She left her homeland (San Sebas) for love and a better future for what she wanted to create and establish as a young queen full of hopes and dreams (¡Y si! Ganó como reina y representante de Las Fiestas Patrias de San Sebastián).
In this piece I pay homage to my family; my parents, my grandparents, my great-grandparents, my siblings, my cousins, mis tíos y tías, my nephew Syrus, and to my best friend, Perla Jacobo.
The portraits drawn here:
Mi MaMa Juana Servín, mi Abuelito Ñoto, mi abuela Chavela, my pops, my lil brother Carlos, mi Tía Vanessa, mi Tía Jenny, mi Tía Amanda, mi Tío Baru, my prima Destiny, my sister Brandy, mi prima Ashley, my sister Karen @karenx.nailx, mi Tía Eli, my best friend Perla, my brother Uri, my nephew Syrus, mi Jefa, mi Abuelita Silvia, mi Mama María, mi Abuelito Gonzalez, mi Tío Belen, mi Tío Francisco, mi Tío Mario, mi Tía Ceci, mi Tía LuLis, mi Tía Meri, mi Tía Karen, y mi Tía Eli.
Initially, this piece was brainstormed the last week of July 2023 and the pencil didn’t hit the paper till July 28 all the way till August 24, a little under a month of very well-used hours to get this pieced and framed, ready in time. I loved creating this piece and the emotions and memories that came with illustrating sweet dreams, dead memories.
From me to you, a 22-year-old Self Taught, First Generation Chicana illustrator Born x Raised in Santa Ana, California… Xoxo
-Miss Erotic Rat.
