About

Patricio Guerrero is an inventor, imagineer, and artist. Local to Santa Cruz, he creates mind-bending installations through the medium of wood, thermoplastics and LED light. Patricio works with a hand-made six-foot 3D printer and CNC Router to create his innovative designs. His work exists in the junction of art and engineering, creating pieces that play with reality and expectations. 

Born in Mexico City to two artistic parents, Patricio was drawn to the arts early on in his life. . He was constantly exposed to art, going to local shows and museums before he could walk. The engineering side of his expression was more slowly discovered through projects throughout adolescence. During a road trip in Mexico, he built a life-size man out of paper that would foreshadow his work building animatronic figures for Disney. His first deep dive into mechanical devices was in a small workshop called Mama Tierra in Mexico City where he used recycled materials to build a fully functioning robotic hand. 

When his parents relocated the family to LA, Patricio continued to feed his hunger for creation. In high school, he worked at a metal fabrication shop in Inglewood, where he helped build art installations for Burning Man. During this time, he also converted a 1971 VW bug to electric power. Patricio received his first 3D printer as a high school graduation present, this unlocked a world of possibilities for him. 

During college, Patricio began printing prosthetic hands that were activated by small brain signals. For his capstone project he started and led the first hyperloop competition project at his university and won 5th place among 126 schools from around the world in the SpaceX Hyperloop Competition. This project would continue to win the dean's choice award for the next 3 years. During the summer, Patricio interned at Walt Disney Imagineering where he worked on designing advanced animatronics for the parks. He graduated college with a masters in mechanical engineering, focusing on design and manufacturing. He continued to work on bipedal animatronic humanoid projects for the entertainment industry. 

When the pandemic hit Patricio started a company called ShieldLA that produced and distributed 52,000 face shields to hospitals in the greater Los Angeles County.

Patricio moved to Santa Cruz two years ago in search of community and more proximity to nature. An avid surfer, he began to find artistic inspiration in the waves and layers of the Monterey Bay. His art pieces reflect the symbiotic relationship between humans and the natural world, and he hopes to create designs that inspire people to cultivate this bond. This year, Patricio decided to pursue his artistic passions full-time, leaving a corporate job in search of a more fulfilling career path. He continues to surf often and relish in the beauty of Santa Cruz.