LOCAL Houston | The City Guide October 2016 | Page 28

ART

DONKEEBOY

“Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” – Arthur Ashe

In a country that is so driven by schedules – whether it’s an infant’s feeding schedule, the American
education system or our average 9–5 workday – local artist ALEX ROMAN doesn’t adhere.
And it isn’t out of a need to rebel; rather, it’s instinct. Roman noticed quickly that his interest in art wasn’t
a hobby, it was a way of life. Thus, an alter-ego – DONKEEBOY, a symbolic retort to all the nonbelievers
and naysayers – was born. Sheer determination and will have made Donkeeboy a part of the city’s
urban artist landscape.
Roman creates a fusion of art as a chef would combine various cuisines, only his medium is house
paint and paint markers and he fuses them with pop culture. It’s not odd to find TUPAC immortalized in
the style of Picasso’s cubism or ANDY WARHOL festively painted for the holiday season or FRIDA KAHLO meets
Wonder Woman in a larger-than-life mural. His inspiration is endless and graces everything from
buildings, soft furnishings, glassware and gallery walls across town.
In the coming months, Roman will show at Art Basel, is working on a mural for a new restaurant set to
open soon and is the resident artist at 8th Wonder Brewery. “One project in particular that I consider
a huge one is that I am partnering up with Lehigh Hanson Campbell Concrete to paint four cement
plants with art that is community-driven.”
We’ll be looking for Roman’s work around town and will follow his lead because as one famous Donkey
said, “Be careful of following the masses – remove the “m” and who exactly are you following?”

By Carla Valencia de Martinéz
Photography courtesy of Donkeeboy

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L O C A L

| october 16