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Success Story: Arte De Luz

Luz Maria Clayton is a self-taught San Diego artist, specializing in digital art and mixed media. Luz has a small family, her husband and two young children. For the early part of their lives, she was a stay-at-home mom. As the children got older Luz began her art journey. Luz has been creating professionally for the past six years. She started her art career by participating in group art shows as well as sold her prints at local markets and events around San Diego. Along the way she was offered the opportunity to display her artwork on a shop wall in a popular art district known as Barrio Logan. There she had a chance to share her work with the art-loving community. She spent a whole year at this location, until the pandemic induced the lock-down. The small shop had to close its doors. However in October 2020, she was offered a space of her own.

Her friends at “The Urban Art Shop,” a local print shop, gave her a chance to display her work for the remainder of 2020 as a trial run. Luz also reached out to our International Rescue Committee SBDC to help her apply for a grant for small businesses. In September 2021 she was approved for $5,000. She shares how receiving the small business relief grant was a huge help to keep her business running and open, and “it took off a big burden of financial load” from her shoulders. The shop was a success and now, a year later, Luz and her mom, Linda Garcia, run and operate “Arte De Luz”, an eclectic, inviting, fun space. It’s her own personal gallery and gift shop. Mom makes handmade sewn goods and Luz sells original art, prints, and custom merchandise.

Learn more about this inspiring small business at artedeluzsd.com!