When Time Becomes Sacred: Marcos Alvarado for RESERVE Atlas Bleu

Marcos Alvarado didn't set out to become an artist. Growing up in Caguas, Puerto Rico, he drew cartoons and superheroes as a way to keep his favorite characters around even when the TV was off. "It started as a way to hold on to what inspired me," he says. "Later on, it became something deeper. I turned to art when I didn't know how to explain what I was feeling."

Now splitting time between studios in Phoenix and Dallas, Alvarado has built an international career around paintings that blend figurative realism with surreal, spiritual imagery. His work has shown in Los Angeles, New York, Paris, and Miami, including Scope Miami Beach, with collaborations ranging from The Grateful Dead to reggaeton artist Arcangel.

For JBW's latest campaign, RESERVE Atlas Bleu, Alvarado created Alchemical Process, a painting where Atlas Bleu is lowered by a divine hand toward a stone partially submerged in flowing water, while small crystals drift nearby. It's both mythic and intimate, transforming a luxury object into something more contemplative.

"Each time I create, I'm releasing something personal but also preserving something sacred," Alvarado explains. "Memory, grief, joy, ancestry, cultural transformation; it all lives in the layers. The work is often about shedding one skin to reveal another, while trying to preserve the parts of the spirit that feel eternal."

His Puerto Rican upbringing, growing up between spiritual traditions, cultural richness, and colonial history, deeply shapes his work. "I carry the weight of colonial history, the spirit of the island, and the beauty of Afro-Caribbean myth into my compositions. I also pull from my own emotional history; moments of loss, resilience, and rebirth."

The collaboration feels natural given both artist and brand's independent paths. JBW, based in Dallas, has built its identity around bold designs for people creating their own legacies rather than inheriting them. Alvarado's artistic journey mirrors this: he's self-taught, started independently, and found his voice outside traditional systems.

"I don't think it was a decision," he says about becoming an artist. "It just kept showing up in my life until I couldn't ignore it. Painting became a way to work through heavy emotions and express things I didn't have words for." The turning point came during a 2022 solo exhibition in Los Angeles, watching people connect with work, "Seeing people connect with something that came from such an internal place made me realize that this path was not just for me, it was meant to be shared. That moment was both a confirmation and invitation to dig deeper."

For Alvarado, art exists in conversation with time itself. "I often feel like I'm building bridges across time, sending messages to my younger self while leaving markers for the future version of me," he reflects. "Sometimes I look at old drawings and see how they were preparing me for things I hadn't lived yet."

He sees art as both capturing and transforming time. "Art is a vessel for time, but it's also a way to bend it. In my work, I try to collapse timelines: past, present, and future all coexisting in a single piece. Memory, prophecy, and presence become indistinguishable." The JBW piece embodies this philosophy, with the watch becoming a vessel for meditation on permanence and change.

Creating has taught him lessons nothing else could. "Art has taught me that creation requires surrender," he says. "No matter how much I plan or intend, the work always teaches me something I didn't know I was seeking. It's humbled me, cracked me open, and reminded me that healing isn't linear. But expression makes it possible."

The timing of this collaboration is particularly meaningful. Alvarado is preparing for a residency in Puerto Rico, returning to his roots at a pivotal moment in his career. "It feels divinely timed. Returning to Puerto Rico at this moment is like being called home, not just physically, but spiritually. This residency is giving me the space to reconnect with my lineage and to create from a place that feels raw, honest, and necessary. It's a full-circle moment, right on time, and right where I need to be."

That sense of perfect timing aligns with JBW's Right on Time campaign, though Alvarado's interpretation goes beyond punctuality. "I hope they feel seen," he says about viewers of his work. "I hope they carry a sense of spiritual recognition, like they've encountered something both personal and universal. I want the work to leave a residue, something they remember quietly, long after they've left the room.

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