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| "Cotton Candy". Watercolor. Original Art by Zander Esteban |
A sense of me
I like making people laugh. It is one of things that - based on my observation - I do effortlessly. I like seeing people be happy and laugh at my jokes and at the things I do for fun. I particularly am fond of irony and sarcasm. One friend told me I was so good at doing it, that sometimes it confuses her if I am joking or I am being serious, which makes her uncomfortable sometimes (which I find funny; is that too much?). This is me in the real world, a hilarious and spontaneous guy. But, when it comes with art, I am different. I like to think that art is a vessel of things or emotions that you can't or don't usually show in real life. Being a firm believer - firm-ish - of the zodiac, I believe that as a Gemini, I will, and always be two-faced. I am not just the happy, spontaneous guy, there is another side of me that is dark, and mysterious. I take that and apply it to my art, but with my craft I don't hide the other side. I show both sides, creating a unique character. A character that is hilarious and dark, comfortable and uncomfortable at the same time. That is my kind of art. In the words of Beyonce (non-verbatim): "I like to make something pretty, then mess it up. That's what makes it mine." That's what I like to do. Like my humor - the irony and sarcasm - I like making people a bit uncomfortable, in the sense that they feel confused as to what to think about my art. I would like to make them think, "It really is pretty, but also vile at the same time. I like it."
The root
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| "Bubblegum" Watercolor. Original Art by Zander Esteban |
I think that this addiction to torturing people with art that is both pleasant and vile came from the realization of truth. That violent things do happen. That we live in the world where dark and light does not fight, but coexist and help each other. Also random things that inspire me are the youth - particularly the millenials (us), internet, the 90's (for some odd reason), nostalgia, horror and grotesque things. If I were to describe my art in one word it would be "cathartic". If I was to categorize my art (based on the existing styles) it will be a cross breed of Fauvism (optimistic, colorful art), Dadaism (shocking, exposition of evil), Surrealism (dream-like), Symbolism (art laden with symbols), Expressionism and Abstract. Beautiful is not the word to describe my art. In fact, I am constantly searching for the real definition of beauty. Does beauty really exist? Does ugliness really exist? How can we say if something is pretty or ugly? What is the basis of prettiness? If an art makes you uncomfortable, is it ugly? These are the questions I ask. One could not just rate something beautiful and ugly without basis. It's just that beauty, does not sit well with me. It sounds fake. It sounds superficial. Meaningless. It doesn't sound like art. Pretty for me means conforming to standards, something I'm not fond of doing.
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| Original Art by Lucas David |
I am very much inspired by other forms of art such as literature and songs. I really love words. I listen to a wide range of music from folk to rap to what would a normal, not-really-a-fan-of-music person, categorize as noise. What I love to do is analyze lyrics and find beauty in words. The stories that the poets and singers share fuel my imagination and gives me ideas for my subject matter. With that said, my subject could be anything. As of now the medium I'm very attracted to are watercolor and color pencils. When it comes to artists, I have a few inspirations. I love Salvador Dali, Andy Warhol, and Frida Kahlo. Also I am guilty of being a Picasso fan. Picasso might be my artistic twin. I feel like right now I'm living in Picasso's blue era. His dark, and haunting paintings inspires me. Frida Kahlo's self-portrait are mind-boggling and just..... astounding. When it comes to modern artists, Lucas David - an independent artist, who has made his name by creating fan arts for many famous singers - has had a deep impact in my art. I love his independence. I admire his not giving a damn personality. His art is kind of my "guilty pleasure". It's like when you know this thing and you don't want to share it with anybody (that's exactly how I feel right now writing this entry). His art is very dark and very edgy. Sometimes his subjects are nude and most of the times bloody. It has some sort of twisted factor in it. He takes the glamorous lives of this Hollywood superstars and twists it into something grotesque. He has this kind of art that whenever I look at it I think,
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| Original Art by Lucas David. |
"It really is pretty, but also vile at the same time. I like it."
More by Lucas David: bigcartel Tumblr [[[[Links may contain NSFW content]]]]
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