TROUBLE IN PARADISE
a collection of 15 new artworks by Gerardo Rodríguez
now on display and available for purchase at Zilker Brewing Co in Austin, TX
September - October 2025
Below are stories inspired by six of the paintings from the collection
Written by Gerardo Rodriguez & Carly Badke
Summoned by Smoke
I felt it before I could see it. The rhythmic bass of my heartbeat echoed through me like a war drum, and my thoughts, like a startled feathered flock, scattered from my mind. From the sacred mountain snaked a column of white smoke– a prophecy awakened from its etched stone grave. I was a lone witness to this summoning, for only the marked could read the sky. It was neither sound nor sight that called me anyway; it was an unrealized destiny, and only I was meant for this journey.
Flame of the Mountainbreaker
There I began: the trembling ground beneath me and the watchful stare of the domed giant above me. I didn’t know what it was, yet I could feel it was not my friend. I met its heated gaze, the fire mirrored in my soul, and I let it burn from the inside out of me: courage. My readiness, unfelt, became my action.
The Wild that Made Him
The breeze whispered “welcome home,” and the ancient trees invited me into silent reverence. My journey had led me back to my beginning! Somewhere in the hardened footsteps behind me, I had forgotten who I am and became something else– something to title, something to perfect, something to please the gods. But as I followed the stones through the soft earth ahead, I began to remember and unbecome until my eye was widened to the purpose of my victorious defeat!: the call of the wild I headed was not asking for anything from me. Between the canopies of fronds and sky, I hold high my bloomed realization that the call of the wild was only its gracious invitation to just be, and be part of it.
The Sword Chose the Beast
As I followed my winged guides, a curious obstacle halted my journey. A stone cyclops head lay in front of me, and– just beyond it– shadowed figures of either my fearful imagination or a threatening presence. The monster rock felt my pause– or something did– and a crack of magic sparked from my staff. With an electric sizzle I was suddenly magnetized by the one-eyed boulder, and as the current buzzed between us a sword ascended from the awakened boulder. The sword blazed blue against the smokey orange sky, and the firelight of my lantern sparkled off the blade: I was chosen.
Bladeborn
When the elders spoke of warriors, it was never my form I envisioned marching for the quest. Neither heroic strength nor intimidating stature were my gifts of birth, yet here I stood with sabre in hand and courage in my chest. I was, alas, bladeborn; chosen for this moment not by my own intention but from a calling beyond this earthly realm. The blue-blazed blade ignited the spark of muffled bravery within me, and I knew how my story would be told: I was the Giant Slayer.
Monster Meets Magic
In the ruins of troubled paradise, the skies were choked with ash and the vines were drained of their vibrant greens. Like a ghost haunting the wasteland, a figure weaved between deadened branches, and as it approached me the earthen floor lifted to meet it in anticipation. It was a being cloaked and dark, but its presence was inviting and bright. Though its voice spoke not, I heard a spell whispered to my soul, like familiar words in a foreign tongue. Then, magic! Like sparklers, energy began to fizz from the branch in my hand and where sparks landed things began to sprout. As I waved the branch through the forest, the sprinkling of sparks ignited life. The spell cast upon me was now my spell to cast back: nature began to restore and paradise began again.