Eduardo Gardea is a self-taught painter who works out of his studio at Hot Shops Art Center in the North Downtown neighborhood. He recently decided to quit his day job and pursue art full-time. His work is influenced by stories of the disenfranchised, often encouraging the viewer to think more deeply about the immigrant experience. Gardea has also created a number of murals around Omaha. One of his more recent works can be found on the exterior of Ooh De Lally in Dundee. 

In this conversation, Gardea and Michael Griffin talk about Gardea's artistic process, the administrative hurdles to being a full-time artist, and steps Omaha can take to invest in the creative community.