Gallery of Geek: Hector Barros

Hector Barros, an out gay artist from Spain, uses his considerable talents to create artwork that ranges from the delightfully cute and adorable to the sexy and arousing. But either way you slice it, his work is something to admire.

The Advocate sat down for a chat with this talented artist about the ways being being queer influences his work and his personal inspirations.

The Advocate:What inspires you to create?
Hector Barros: Everything! From a videogame to a movie to the last book in my Kindle or people in the street. When I'm low on ideas I always go back to my comic book collection or the work of people I admire, like: Olivier Coipel, Adam Hughes, Travis Charest, Kim Jung Gi, Klimt. I also try to collaborate in projects with friends just for fun.

Does being queer influence your artwork?
Yes, as any other part of me does. It is curious, if you think of it, that in popular culture female characters are usually the focus of interest for gay and straight guys, but for completely different reasons. Some gay guys have their pop music divas; I have my pop culture divas.

What was your gateway art drug into the world of geek culture?
I have been drawing for as long as I can remember, competing with my older brother (he is still really good at it, but he is way smarter than me and decided to find a proper job). When I was about 5 years old I was obsessed with the Dungeons and Dragons cartoon, from there I started reading the comic book adaptation or whatever comic book I could find in my cousin's room. Then, one day I borrowed an Excalibur issue drawn by Alan Davis, that was my first contact with geek culture. It was a love at first sight, and the rest as they say is history.

What geeky things are you currently obsessed with?
Currently? The thing is when I like something I like it forever! So the list keeps on growing and growing: (almost) everything from Marvel, fighting games, mythology, Batwoman, bad movies, Dragon Ball, good movies, Angela Carter, Brandon Sanderson, Neil Gaiman, videogame concept art, character redesign, Sailor Moon, Saint Seiya,... I could go on for days.

You must have a favorite superhero character, right? Who might it be?
Rogue! All the X-Women are great characters in the hands of a good writer, but there is something about Anna-Marie, so strong and yet so vulnerable, loyal yet not keen on following the rules. She got a really bad hand, but she plays it amazingly well. Plus, she is the adopted child of a same-sex couple, and the first one to know about Northstar's (homosexual) secret!

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