Best known for his larger-than-life Humanscape series, Mel Casas began creating smaller-scale works after retiring from academia and his professorship at San Antonio College in the early 1990s. With more time and freedom, he explored a wider range of subjects. “The only difference is, my agenda now is my own, instead of just working for schools and other duties,” Casas said in a 1996 interview with Paul Karlstrom. True to its title, *Mel Casas* depicts a cocky cock: the rooster, rendered in blue, green, and violet strokes, crows against a confetti-speckled ground, tail fanned as it struts. The punning title mocks male swagger, reflecting Casas’s broader aim to challenge cultural myths and stereotypes.