Adalberto Pérez Mellión is an artist and printmaker who operates Taller Pérez Mellión—initially opened as Galleria Pérez Mellión in 1988. In the beginning, he specialized in selling the art and crafts of the Paipai and the Kumeyaay Indian tribes of Northern Baja. He spent years traveling to their remote communities by four-wheel-drive vehicle trading for their handicrafts.

After an artist-in-residence scholarship took him to Zacatecas, to study printmaking at the Museo de Arte Abstracto Manuel Felguerez, Pérez Mellión returned to Ensenada and turned his gallery into a printing studio. Since that day, he has been teaching the craft of printmaking while selling the art of his students and local contemporary artists.

In this conversation, we discuss his progression from folk-art dealer to becoming an artist and a teacher of printmaking. Additionally, we covered a three-day hike with burros to see cave art he took with our mutual friend Ted Donovan led by Francisco Detrell. Last but certainly not least, we discussed the origins of fish tacos in Ensenada and his favorite tacos stands. Please note we taped this conversation in January 2020 before social distancing due to COVID-19 was in practice.

Taller Pérez Mellión

Centro de las Artes de Baja California

Francisco Detrell Baja Guide

Tacos Corona Tacos de Pescado and Camaron