ART FLOWING THROUGH HIS VEINS

Isaac Pelayo is a modern day Renaissance man, following in the footsteps of his father, Leonardo Da Vinci and Tupac Shakur.

Isaac Pelayo was destined to be an artist. The signs were there even during his youngest days. When other kids were playing football and pretending to be the next great NFL star, Pelayo was constantly drawing and dreaming about 15th century Florence. “I remember exactly how I felt the first time I came face-to-face with a master painting,” Pelayo recalls. “I was stunned and left with a burning obsession.”

That obsession was turned into a thriving career. Pelayo took the time to speak with us about his start, the influence of his father and his adoration for Tupac.

What was your first experience with art?

II first showed interest in art as early as 2. My dad actually has a tattoo of my first drawing on his forearm. Art came to be the one thing that truly spoke to me, even as a kid. I never got the chance to get involved in any sports or other activities due to circumstances. I grew up extremely solitary, alone, quiet and to myself in a house full of adults. I didn’t mind barricading in some corner of the house with a few sheets of paper and pencils. Allowing my mind and creativity take control, I just tagged along for the ride.

I was completely enamored by 14th-17th century art—the likes of Da Vinci, Rubens, Velazquez, Caravaggio and Rembrandt stood as mentors right from the start. I wanted to be in that time. The Renaissance seemed like the perfect place for my screaming desire to educate and carve my eager mind. When I was a kid I didn’t go to sports events or amusement parks. I was taken to museums, galleries and art fairs. The gallery space served not as my second home, but my first. That alone propelled me onto the path I walk on still to this day, nearly 24 years later.