La Pistola (the gun) is a motif often seen in Romero’s oeuvre, usually among other floating objects like Romero’s signature cruisin’ cars, flaming hearts, nopales, and the highways of Los Angeles. Despite having a signature style emphasizing exuberance and theatrical visuals, Romero does not let that box him into a like-minded narrative. The artist uses his palette of vibrant color and stylistic composition to grab attention and segue into nuanced conversations about the dark underbelly of the Los Angeles political landscape, specifically observing police brutality. “If you look at the paintings, they’re very beautiful. They’re in lovely pastel colors and so forth like that. So people are attracted to the image with these, on an abstract level. And then they see what it’s about; I hope somehow they come away with the message,” - Frank Romero, interview with Smithsonian American Art Museum for “Meet the Artist.”