Burstoid

Andy Espinoza: Interview

I hope you enjoy my interview with Andy Espinoza.

How would you describe your style?

I wouldn't say that I have a particular style per se, I like to experiment with each new piece that I do. At every chance that I get, I try to study the works of old and contemporary artists and apply those lessons to my own work. The thing that I tend to concentrate on most, however, is getting the right values in the right spot; simplifying things to their most essential shapes. Artists who I admire a lot for sticking to the bare essentials are the painters John Singer Sargent and Joaquin Sorolla. Those guys can paint! I think that sticking to the basics and keeping things simple makes my work stronger than it would be if I were to harp on the details.

What's it about charcoal that you like?

When I use charcoal, I find that it's a lot easier to build up a form because I can get intense dark marks and I can pull figures out of the paper with an eraser. It's easy to get intense darks and good contrast, whereas it seems too difficult to do this with other forms of dry media. The best thing about charcoal is the fact that I can play around with it. I can push and pull forms across paper and get strong expressive marks with just a quick movement. It's possible to be delicate with this media and other times, I like going crazy with it. At the end of the day it always seems to find its way onto my shirt.

What types of projects do you most like working on?

Anything that seems challenging and rewarding. For my senior thesis at Ringling College of Art and Design earlier this year, I worked at a very large scale just to see if I could undertake the task. I am now working at a much smaller scale and challenging myself to execute the same quality that I get in my larger works. I hope I can continue finding other means of challenging myself before I end up painting a mural with a thousand figures and mirrors and wondering what I got myself into.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

This question is probably the hardest for me to answer. Hopefully in five years, I'll find myself being able to paint comfortably in a large studio just like Sargent's. I can dream, can't I? Jokes aside, I see myself working on several different types of illustrations and projects, attending and holding shows and enjoying what is left of my youth.

Thank you, Andy!