Collectors Corner! Ed Sandoval's Newsletter (Taos, NM)

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Collectors Corner!

Ed Sandoval Gallery's Newsletter

119 Quesnel Street, Taos, NM 87571

www.edsandovalgallery.com

edsandovalart@gmail.com

(575) 770-6360

My Tribute to & Thoughts about Van Gogh

Last month, my advice to beginning artists was "start somewhere and keep going." Van Gogh did. Ridiculed, depressed, starving, tormented, broke, unhealthy and unhinged, he still kept going. He believed in his art, even though it didn't sell and he constantly had to beg his brother, Theo, for money. He viewed the world as a moving, vibrant explosion of color, light and contour, and he was compelled to share his visions on canvas.

Photo from Van Gogh Immersive Exhibit

My Painting: "Van Gogh Sky" 1998 (14x18)

I've been deeply inspired by Van Gogh my whole life. He "speaks" to my imagination and soul the way few artists do, and I often channel him when I'm using a certain brush stroke or color. It's almost like his spirit is with me when I paint, an observing guardian angel who whispers guidance and ideas. Sometimes I step back, look at what I've painted and think, "Where did that come from?" He's so present that I've done at least six portraits of him, so when I heard about the immersive experience traveling around the country, I had to go.

"Van Gogh II" (2013)

"Van Gogh" (1993)

"Tribute to Van Gogh" (2016)

Road trip! Denver is quite a ways to drive for an exhibit, but hey it's Van Gogh. Sometimes it's wonderful to take a day off and indulge yourself as a wide-eyed tourist. Pulling up to the venue, I was the little kid grinning ear to ear who just entered Disneyland, posing in front of every cheesy prop they had. It was glorious - he's my hero and muse after all...

You enter a dark room where a "film" is playing all around, but it's more like the animated movie "Loving Vincent." The brushstrokes appear, sometimes softly and slowly to music, and then there are explosions of color as they move, grow and change. Scenes from his paintings come alive – it's dizzying and mesmerizing at the same time. The brushstrokes match the rhythm of echoing music as shapes come into view, shift and then float upward or sideways as light and color transform them into another scene. Overwhelming at first, we stayed and kept watching from different vantage points so we wouldn't miss anything.

During "Starry Night," Van Gogh appears with lit candles on his hat before fading, replaced slowly by stars, swirls, city lights and river waters lit by pulsing reflections. Sublime! I heard one visitor wondering if the candles symbolized his birthdays and death because one by one each candle goes out softly. Actually, he loved to paint at night, but he couldn’t see. So, to illuminate his canvas and his palette of paint colors, he wore a straw hat with candles wired onto it. It was so sad to see them extinguish one by one...

In a book I'm reading, it says he wrote tons of letters to Theo, usually asking for money but sometimes offering his thoughts about art. Of nighttime's energy, he said, "Often I have the impression that the night is much more alive and richly colored..." It is heartbreaking that he painted his most famous painting, Starry Night, while recovering from a nervous breakdown (after the ear incident) at an asylum in France.

As I sat watching, it occurred to me that his paintings are not just bursts of color but also sculptural, as if he carved a 3-D effect by layering paint. His flowers, for example, look almost molded, as if he exaggerated their structure as well as their color.

I've heard he often painted rural workers (farmers, etc.) because he didn't have the funds to pay models. I'm glad he did. I use his "triangle" in my own work – landscape, person(s) and hacienda/dwelling(s).

A tragic life, but his timeless, unending genius inspires the entire world to this day. Maybe he was doomed from birth. After all, his parents named him after his older brother who died in childbirth. There was even a tombstone for that infant, which Van Gogh would have seen, with "Vincent Van Gogh" written on it…more than creepy and perhaps an omen.

The whole experience was deeply personal. I could say more, but I'd like to end by simply reminding us about this conflicted artist through the haunting lyrics sung by Don McLean:

Now I understand what you tried to say to me

And how you suffered for your sanity

And how you tried to set them free

They would not listen, they did not know how

Perhaps they'll listen now

Introducing Another Self-Taught Artist: Rick Espinoza from Pueblo, Colorado

Van Gogh was self taught, and now he is arguably the world's most famous artist. Life is not always fair to those who want to become artists – Some have advantages, such as supportive families who encourage artistic dreams and/or provide funds for art classes and degrees. Frankly, some don't.

Look at the image of the clown. Is it a photograph or a drawing? Can't tell? I really can't either, but it's actually a colored pencil drawing by an artist from Pueblo, CO: Rick Espinoza.

Rick reached out to me through Facebook. As a Hispanic artist living in a town not really known as an "art mecca," he wanted some guidance and feedback. He began drawing as soon as he could hold a pencil, but his father disapproved (to put it mildly). He thought his son should play football or do other "manly" things, not draw. He wouldn't buy Rick any art supplies, not even a pencil, and when he found him sketching, he often made him quit.

Like Van Gogh, Rick wouldn't give up on his dream. He kept going, practicing his craft and doing drawings for friends and family. Over the years, he sold a few pieces and wondered if he could go further, but he didn't know if he should or even how or where to begin.

"Last Day in the Sun"

For Sale: "Sorry. What Were You Saying?" (Approx. 16x23) $2,500

"Snowy Blue Jean Baby"

When I heard Rick's story and saw his pieces, I was FLOORED. Writing back immediately, I told him he was extremely talented, and, to help get him going, I'd be pleased to feature him in the newsletter. He's THAT good – incredible eye for detail and proportion. Just look at the meticulously sketched details on the jean jackets and jeans...the folds, shadowing, stitching, labels, rivets... So authentically precise! I'm absolutely amazed.

We set up a day for him to visit the gallery and bring some of his art. See the one we're holding? Oh yeah, I bought that one on the spot because I know great art when I see it! It's titled "Nizhoni" (14x14), and, like all of Rick's work, she's impeccably framed. He uses museum glass and actually has tags at the bottom with the title of the piece and the artist. That's first class.

Rick brought his cousin and daughter with him, and we had a delightful time viewing his work and talking about the art world. Rick is one of the most upbeat, gracious people I've ever met – so appreciative and curious, and his eyes got wide in wonder as he asked questions and learned more about pricing, galleries, shows, etc. He is gaining confidence, and I know he'll be successful.

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Mayan Goddess of Thought & Intellect (Approximately 18x24) $2,750

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I don't have information on all of his artwork (some are past works that have sold), but he brought down "Alaghom Naom Tzentel (Ixtat Ix)," Mayan Goddess of Thought & Intellect. His females all have such beauty, grace and strength: the feathers in the headdresses, painted fabrics and fur in their ceremonial outfits, jewelry and makeup just draw you in. You can't help but stare for a long, long time, admiring every aspect of the composition. For his artwork, he uses pencils with prism colors, often incorporating pastels.

I said Rick spent years drawing sketches for friends and family. He works from any photo, and he can even take people from different photographs and put them all into one sketch. I saw several, and they are stunning. He's done portraits of people who've passed away, for instance, and groupings of loved ones who couldn't be together physically, so he drew them together. Above is just one example (the boy and girl with Halloween face paint).

If you see one of Rick's pieces that you love or want to commission a work from photographs or based on his past work, I know he'd appreciate any and all inquiries. He draws just about everything you can think of (pets, people, horses, fantasy, etc.).

Rick is an upcoming artist to keep an eye on, and, for the moment, his works are so reasonably priced – maybe you'll want to get in on the ground floor (I did!) or know others who might be interested. Thank you for viewing his art and helping to welcome this incredible talent into the art world.

Rick Espinoza

719-994-6940

richardesp58@gmail.com