Artist and Guatemalan native Jose Flores, center, taught a Master Class to the students in the Fine Arts Department. Their teacher, Jason Cuvelier, is at far right.

Artist and Guatemalan native Jose Flores pays homage to his homeland’s long and ancient traditions of the Maya through his art by capturing their sacredness with his powerful, dream-like portraits.  

Flores is sharing his heritage and passion this month by teaching a Master Class at the Long Island High School for the Arts. As the school’s first exhibiting artist, his works are on display in the Rosalind Joel Conservatory for Music and Theatre.

Flores said he was pleasantly surprised in how interested the Fine Arts LIHSA students were, and how intelligent their questions were. “I help students look at their roots, and help them connect to it through their art.”

One of those students, Anays Sarauz, of the Carle Place UFSD, told Flores that she appreciated what he does because, she said, “It’s really important to preserve our cultures and history. I’m Ecuadorian, and I related to what he said. It’s something that I want to explore in my own artwork.”

The Master Class program is part of the school’s ongoing mission to provide its students with an inside look at the industries they are pursuing, and to introduce them to mentors within their chosen field.

A self-taught artist based out of Port Washington, Flores’s heart and spirit remain rooted in his place of birth, the heartland of the Mayan culture, where he draws his inspiration. “What I love about my culture is that I’ll never run out of ideas,” he said. “I use it for inspiration in my art. My goal is to not only dive into the past but bring it together with the future.”