Biography

I’m TAFFF.xyz (tá • fff • eks • why • zee), Rafael Pelayo, a printmaker based in Arizona working with linoleum, carving tools, oils, and traditional papers to create hand-pulled prints.

My journey into printmaking began in 2022 with the birth of my twin daughters, when I needed a quieter creative practice after my girls had gone to bed. I immersed myself in the carving and printing process—a meditative sequence that allows me to bring forth, in fragments, the images that surface during these quiet hours.

Born in Sun Valley, California to immigrant parents from Jalisco, Mexico, I spent my early childhood in California and later experienced a formative decade living and studying in Mexico before returning to Los Angeles in 2014, where I graduated from the Los Angeles Film School with an Associate of Science in Music Production.

I’m currently developing Textura, a collection that transforms personally photographed images of my environment into prints that capture the blend of colors, light, and landscape from the Southwest North American plains—set to release in January 2026.

I invite you to explore my work and follow along as more pieces come to life.