lie, he was asked to reproduce the page in the company of his peers. Nervous, but undaunted, young Esparza acquiesced. The results successfully
impressed his contemporaries and which immediately following fermented
into a drive to continue illustrating on the daily. Supported and encouraged
by his family, he was apprenticed to family members with an artistic aptitude,
ultimately nurturing his preternatural talent.
Esparza's practice has always been intrinsically influenced by the history
and culture of his family, drawing from Hispanic folklore and custom. His
most recent body of work pulls straight from these traditions with beautifully
executed, hyperrealistic, portraiture of women clad in Dia de Los Muertes
costume. His paintings are as eerie as they are alluring - breathtaking but
heartbreaking in the fact that to pull your gaze away is formidable as well as
if you were to extend your reach to touch the soft curves of a cheek, caress
an arm or run your fingers through tresses, your fingers would only be met
with canvas. A bittersweet trickery of the artist's immaculate, immense capability. As Esparza explains what it is to celebrate Dia de Los Muertes, "it's a
reminder that we can't take things for granted, we are all here for one lifetime
at a time. Make the best of it... [The] Day of the Dead helps to bring people
together once a year to all celebrate the lives of remembered loved ones
without having to do this by yourself. It's more sad when you visit a gravesite
by yourself, than it is with hundreds rejoicing with you."
Today, Esparza derives his influences from the perspectives and ideologies
from the ever-morphing world around him, with an extraordinary awareness
and empathy for others around him. One never knows what will inspire you
or when inspiration will come. He admits to being mutable, consistently
garnering knowledge and experience from interactions with his art and
would-be critics. Esparza is true to his art, never compromising. At this time,
he insists on keeping his current work under wraps but maintains the values
imparted unto him by his family as an altruistic artist. For Esparza, it's about
the craft, the tactile experience, and the bringing to creation to life, not about
the dollar sign.
For more work by Daniel Esparza, visit blackmarketartcom pany.com and
brainstormgallery.com
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