LA MESA, Calif. (KGTV) - A La Mesa artist who channels the Halloween spirit in much of his artwork is starting over after thieves stole most of his collection from his car outside his apartment.
Frank Ramirez discovered the devastating loss a week ago when he went to his car parked outside his apartment on Park Avenue. The car had been broken into, and dozens of his black light acrylic paintings were gone.
"I got hit with this wave of terror, fear, anger," Ramirez said.
The artist has been creating glow-in-the-dark art, much of it spooky-themed, for the past five years. He had left his work in his car ahead of an upcoming show when the early morning break-in occurred.
"When you see what's missing, how are you feeling?" I asked.
"Broken," Ramirez replied.
Along with his artwork, thieves also stole prints of his work, a sketchbook containing designs for future pieces, the black lights needed to showcase his art, and electronics. The total loss exceeded $3,000 in art and supplies.
"A part of my identity taken with that, so much of my work has me as a person in it," Ramirez said. "Having that taken away, I felt empty about it. To have something I spent so much time working on, energy into, I don't know what to do with myself now."
The timing makes the theft particularly painful for Ramirez, as Halloween season is typically his busiest time of year.
"This is the time I see a return on all the work I did, but now I don't have anything to sell, I feel incapacitated," Ramirez said.
Despite the setback, Ramirez remains determined to rebuild his collection.
"I've already gotten started on a bunch of new ones, grinding to fill the hole this has left," Ramirez said.
Anyone with information about the case can call La Mesa Police at (619) 667-1400 or Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.
A GoFundMe campaign has been started to help Ramirez replace his missing equipment and supplies.
