Jimmy Barrera

Jerónimo Francisco Barrera de Gutiérrez or "Jimmy Barrera" (1941-2007) was a Mexican-American artist, sculpture and animator who was most notable for his work at Carwardine Parks.

Early Life
He was born on February 3rd, 1941 in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. He moved to San Jose, California in 1955, at the age of 14, along with the rest of his family. He lived in San Jose until 1978 when he "temporarily" moved to Richmond, Virginia to commission art for a newly constructed building, but he was well beloved by the community already, even compared to San Jose, so he stayed in Richmond for the rest of his life.

Career
Ever since moving to Richmond, he became a freelance artist, but while on a train to Newport News in July of 1980 (he didn't have a driver's license until 1988, when Chris Carwardine personally taught him), he ran into Christopher R. Carwardine, who recognized Barrera, and Chris asked him to commission art for his new "Carwardine Colony" park, Barrera agreed, and it started a friendship of a lifetime.

Death
On June 21st, 2007, Jimmy Barrera died in a car accident on the way to Newport News, Virginia from his home in Richmond, Virginia.

Legacy
Jimmy Barrera became inducted into the Carwardine Carnie Hall of Fame in 2008.

Works of Art

 * Carwardine Parks Revised Logo (1981) [done via dark blue inked stamps of the Serpentine font placed side by side on a white sheet of paper]
 * Billings' Wild Kingdom Carousel Artwork (1982)
 * Carwardine Corners Steeplechase Artwork (1983)
 * Christopher R. Carwardine "Unified" Design (1984) [with some help from Tokyo Movie Shinsha/TMS Entertainment]
 * Lasso Logo (1985)
 * Pharaoh's Fury Logo (1986)
 * Wild Wet: Frontier Flume Logo (1987)
 * Carwardine River Rapids Logo (1988)
 * New Old Mill Logo (1989)
 * Mario Statue (1990) [originally on the Carwardine Alpha cruise ship until 2007, when It was relocated to the Port of Long Beach]
 * Great Canadian Rapids Logo (1991)
 * Super Cyclone Logo (1992) [borrows elements from Olivia Stevenson's original Classic Cyclone logo]
 * Nitro Rush Logo (1993)
 * Akron Acres: 70 Years Of Fun Logo (1994)
 * American Arrow Logo (1995)
 * Donkey Kong's Coaster Country Logo (1996)
 * Mario's Wingflyer Logo (1997)
 * Jr. Cyclone Logo (1998) [borrows elements from Olivia Stevenson's original Classic Cyclone logo]
 * Monstar Logo (1999)
 * Jr. Grand Prix Logo (2000)
 * La Cite Incroyable Logo (2001)
 * Bourbon Street Arsenal Logo (2002)
 * Big Bird's Airport Logo (2003)
 * Twin Spiral Logo (2004)
 * Skyward Slingshot Logo (2005)
 * Care Bears Cloud Cars Logo (2006)
 * Swiss Bobs Logo (2007)

Trivia

 * Jimmy Barrera was severely anti-censorship, with several pieces of art going against the ban of Speedy Gonzales cartoons on TV and against 4Kids' censorship of anime.