ABOUT @ELBUGSDIDIT
ABOUT
Efrain “Bugs” Gonzales is an Arizona-based artist. He grew up in Mesa, raised by his mom, who worked as a migrant laborer from Mexico. A lot of his early life was spent on the road, driving across Arizona and California. As a young boy along those highway, he started noticing the hand-painted lettering and striping on semi-trucks, the intricate details, the colors, the way it moved and flowed. It captured him.
And, back then, everything was done by hand. No vinyl, no shortcuts, no AI. Just paint and skill.
HOW IT STARTED
As the lowrider culture started building in Arizona in the late ’70s and early ’80s, Bugs was right there, taking it all in.
He still remembers the first time he saw a lowrider. He was standing on the bleachers in junior high, watching it scrape by, the sound, the movement, the way it looked. AND, that’s where it really started.
Not long after, he saved up and bought his first car, a ’64 Impala while still in high school.
THE CRAFT
From there, it has been years of putting in the time: watching, learning, practicing, and getting better every day.
He worked alongside artists like the Valley;s Great Butch Tucker, picked up knowledge wherever he could, and later went to LA Trade-Tech in the ’90s to continue building his skills.
Over time, he became known for doing things the right way: taking his time, paying attention to detail, and respecting the craft.
His work became part of the look and feel of lowrider culture in Arizona and beyond.
TODAY
He’s been featured in magazines, on TV, in museums, and on projects that have reached far beyond Arizona.
But at the core of it, nothing’s really changed. He’s still in his garage. Still working by hand. Still learning. Still pushing himself to get better. He loves teaching and sharing this art, too. He believes there is room for everyone. We are only vessels of incredible gifts. The colors, the vision, and the ability to create all come from the Master’s hand Himself, the King and Creator of Color, and are placed in us for His Glory.
EXTENDING THE CRAFT
Bugs’ work also extends into skate culture through custom-painted decks and the Bugs Lowrider y Skate project—an evolving extension of something he has always been connected to. Raised by a single mother, he spent his childhood skating up and down Main Street in Mesa beside his mom and younger siblings as they walked everywhere they needed to go. Pulling this project together is, in many ways, pulling it all together for him, a way to celebrate his roots, honor the culture, and bring lowrider enthusiasts, skateboarders, and artists together to help keep the crafts going.
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