Earl Dominic Soto used to create national ad campaigns for companies such as Coca-Cola, Maytag and Yamaha.
He worked as an art director for ad agencies in Chicago and Los Angeles.
But Soto never considered himself an artist.
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Artist of the Month
Who: Earl Dominic Soto
When: Through the end of January
Where: Carlsbad Senior Center, 799 Pine Ave.
Information: (760) 602-4650
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It wasn't until his retirement that the Carlsbad resident, now 82, pulled out his canvas and brushes.
Nine of Soto's more than 100 paintings of American Indians are displayed on the Artist's Wall at the Carlsbad Senior Center.
His work has been on display at the O'Neill Museum in San Juan Capistrano and in Oceanside at the Mission branch library's community room, located next to the Oceanside Police Station.
The paintings at the library got a surprising response from a group of teens who had been detained in the community room by police. The teens were in trouble, but Soto's pictures of several dozen American Indians got to them.
Soto recalled how the police told him the kids were alone in the room and got choked up looking at the faces on the walls.
“His paintings have power,” said Chris Harmon, activity coordinator at the Carlsbad Senior Center.
“His art speaks to you,” said Soto's wife, Laura Ball. “You can see the pride in the faces of these American Indians.”
Soto's mother was a Tigua Indian from El Paso, Texas, and his maternal grandfather was a chief.
“I want to show the real Indian,” Soto said. “I try to avoid the cliché of feathers and high cheekbone.” Soto has shelves of books on American Indians and researched various tribes before starting his art.
“I want to create awareness of the American Indian and what he suffered,” Soto said.
Soto based much of his work on black-and-white photographs by Edward S. Curtis, who published a 20-volume work, “The North American Indian,” in the early 1900s.
“I want to make the pictures representative and contemporary,” Soto said.
Soto uses watercolor, oil, acrylics, pastels and charcoal to produce what he calls a creative interpretation.
“When the bug gets him, he starts painting,” his wife said.
Although the bug didn't bite until after he retired, Soto did paint his childhood home in San Juan Capistrano as a teen.
Soto attended school at Mission San Juan Capistrano in the 1930s. He served in the Navy as a signalman during World War II. After the war, Soto graduated from the Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles, now in Pasadena, and began his career in commercial arts.
Soto took up painting 13 years ago.
“I was out on a walk and brought home a leaf to draw,” Soto said. “I sketched it, and it looked like a leaf.
“You've got to start somewhere,” he said.
Linda McIntosh: (760)