Check out Erikha Montes de Oca’s Artwork

Today we’d like to introduce you to Erikha Montes de Oca.

Erikha, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
I grew up in far Southern Arizona, on a property with fruit and veggie gardens, solar panels, the freedom to immerse myself in nature and express myself with art and music.

Both of my parents would make at home remedies, so I learned the value of activated charcoal and honey, as well as thanking the land for what it provides. One thing that stood out was what we called “Pomada” which is just Pomade in Spanish. My mother made it with a special root called Tepezcohuite and it was the fix all. It healed cuts, scrapes, burns in no time. I remember her making batches with beeswax and the Tepezcohuite root powder, making the whole cabin smell so good!

My mother was diagnosed with Uterine and Ovarian cancer around 1996 when I was nine years old, she passed away in September of 2000, just four years later at the age of 39.

After taking no interest in self-care as a teenager, my switch flipped and I made it my mission to find the purest skincare. After searching long and hard, (and dropping way too much $). I ended up making my own! I started with a Castile and Honey Facewash and progressed into masks, bath soaks and balms.

In Septemeber of 2017, I completed genetic testing and found out I have the BRCA1 genetic mutation which gives me a very high percentage of developing the same forms of cancer my mother had. I went through a bilateral mastectomy and full hysterectomy within a few months and after recovering went full throttle into BRXA! I value life even more so now! I intend on recreating my mothers Pomada in the near future and plan on donating all proceeds from it into cancer research.

We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do? Why? What do you hope others will take away from your work?
BRXA (pronounced: Bruja) is all around body care with minimal ingredients, lots of love, and a touch of magic. I range from a Foaming Face Cleanser and Honey Masks to a Pawmade that is meant to nourish and condition your pets paw pads!

I make everything either made to order or in very small batches. I want to put BRXA in peoples hands and hearts, knowing that each aspect of their order was made with the utmost care.

What do you know now that you wished you had learned earlier?
I wish I had learned to not have such high expectations! There will be days when I think ” Can I make it?” other days when I’m on top of the world. It’s an ebb and flow, and it takes a few years for everything to smooth out but it will.

Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
BRXA products can be found in every room at Hotel Congress, at Popcycle Shop on 4th avenue, and Bellestar Salon.

Additionally, I have a website www.labrxa.com with a catalog of my items. I also offer a sliding scale so I find the most joy in asking what people need, what they can afford, and handpicking a sampling for them.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.labrxa.com
• Phone: 5203440252
• Email: labrxa@gmail.com
• Instagram: @labrxa
• Facebook: @labrxa

Image Credit:
Caroline King Photography

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