Frank Romero’s pistols are a common reference in his wide span of work, showing up in early works such as his work of ink on paper, Tres Pistolas. Before Romero began to formally study art at the Otis Art Institute in Los Angeles, he practiced art and painting during his childhood at just five years old. Earlier, less narrative-focused works featured an array of objects and human figures, often abstracted and stylized beyond recognition behind the domination of the foreground subjects. Recurring images of gun violence and human bodies continue to reoccur as motifs in his collection of work. - Oral history interview with Frank Romero, 1997, January 17-March 2. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.