Raised in the Philippines, Jesus Minguez is now an Orlando-based professional painter and potter, and an expert wheel thrower. He has worked as a painter and freelance illustrator for more than 12 years and has worked with clay for nearly 20 years. Minguez received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Central Florida with a specialization in ceramics. He has taught students of different levels in the Central Florida community, providing private lessons and also as a high school teacher for Orange County Public Schools. Minguez is inspired by his early childhood memories of traditional folk art owned by his grandparents, and by the works of notable Japanese Shigaraki and Bizen potters.