Sunday Jun 29, 2025

S1:E10 Beards, Bodies, and Boldness: Queer Latino Art with Joey Chabolla

Episode Summary

Join us for an intimate conversation with artist Joey Chabolla, whose work fuses Latino cultural heritage with queer, body-positive illustration. Joey shares the inspirations behind his signature shading technique, his focus on bearded, muscular physiques, and his commitment to authentic trans masculine representation. Discover how he navigates censorship, commissions, and community in the Dallas queer art scene.

Keywords

Joey Chabolla artist
Queer Latino art
Homoerotic illustration
Body positive queer art
Trans masculine representation
Dallas queer art scene
Latino cultural motifs in art
Art and queer identity
Social media censorship queer art
Queer community organizing art

Takeaways from the Episode

Joey’s artistic style is deeply influenced by West Dallas’s graffiti culture and prison letter drawings with distinctive grayscale shading techniques.
His mother’s cake decorating and encouragement played a key role in nurturing his early artistic skills.
Joey’s queer identity began to emerge during junior high, inspiring early erotic sketches he carefully hid due to family dynamics.
He celebrates bearded, muscular “bear” bodies in his art as a counterpoint to traditional homoerotic ideals of lean athletic men.
Incorporating Latino heritage, he reinterprets motifs like Mayan and Aztec patterns into queer leather culture imagery, challenging machismo norms.
Joey balances creative autonomy and client needs in commissioned work by deeply understanding the subject and adding personal artistic touches.
He navigates social media censorship by hosting uncensored galleries on his own website and prioritizes technique as a form of vulnerability.
The Dallas queer art scene presents challenges around inclusion and acceptance of nude, homoerotic art, requiring finding supportive venues.
Joey deliberately includes trans masculine figures in his art, honoring their transition journeys through body structure and scar depiction.
His advice to emerging queer artists: practice drawing regularly, embrace your unique perspective, and express yourself unapologetically.

Episode Chapters with Timestamps

00:00 - Introduction and Recording Setup
01:00 - Joey’s Cultural Heritage and Artistic Style
05:00 - Early Artistic Influences and Family Encouragement
08:00 - Queer Identity Emergence and Early Drawings
12:00 - Celebration of Bearded Muscular Physiques in Art
14:00 - Navigating Eroticism, Vulnerability, and Censorship
16:00 - Balancing Commissioned Work and Artistic Vision
19:00 - The Dallas Queer Art Scene: Challenges and Opportunities
22:00 - Trans Masculine Representation in Joey’s Work
25:00 - Latino Cultural Motifs in Queer Art
29:00 - Role as Artist and Community Organizer
30:30 - Advice for Emerging Queer Artists
32:50 - Rapid Fire: Joey’s Artistic Preferences and Inspirations
36:10 - Closing Remarks

Guest Info

Joey Chabolla Official Website

Instagram @joey_chabolla

Twitter @joeychabolla

Resources

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