Image of the Artist in her studio
Esmeralda Velasquez
Esmeralda Velasquez is a visual artist pursuing her BA in Art Practice with an emphasis on Oil Painting at the University of California, Berkeley. Their work combines traditional easel paintings and mixed media painting exploration. Their paintings are large-scale, colorful, concise, structured, and include still-lifes derived from family photographs. Either from albums or self-taken images. The paintings have borderline illustrative qualities and realistic qualities combining 2D and 3D perspectives. Some pieces have more narrative-forward stories while others derive from her studies in Art History. A primary focus of the artist includes covering topics such as family dynamics, Hispanic culture, self-identity, societal beauty standards, disabilities, insomnia, and minority economic disparities.
The artist is a first-generation Hispanic. She likes to refer to herself as Hispanic because she does not believe that Mexican is a label that defines her completely as she is half Mexican and half Guatemalan. Her goal is to blend her cultural background with her art practice by depicting still lives but also incorporating unique life experiences that should be depicted beyond words. This is emphasized by the saturated use of color which is such an important topic. The artist uses color because of its strong connotations with emotions and the response color produces when placed in public places. The use of bright colors is also very common in Guatemalan artisan shops that use bright striped colored cloths. She incorporates her other fields of medium experience such as ceramics, printmaking, and drawing into her final pieces. Mainly deriving the textural and theoretical aspects she learned through those mediums. The artist enjoys a well-flushed depiction of juxtapositions within her art and strives to incorporate ironic commentaries when possible.
CV
Esmeralda Velasquez
Pronouns: she/her
2520 College Ave, Berkeley, CA 94704
https://sites.google.com/berkeley.edu/artezie/work
Instagram: @artezie2128
Born: 2001, Ventura, CA
Lives and works in Berkeley, CA
Education
2024 BA Art Practice and Rhetoric, University of California, Berkeley
2024 Minor Art History, University of California, Berkeley
2022 Studio Art Associate Degree, Ventura Community College, Ventura, CA
2022 Art History Associate Degree, Ventura Community College, Ventura, CA
Group Exhibitions
2023
Group Exhibition, Nice Knowing You, Worth Ryder Gallery, Berkeley, CA
Fall 2023
Art Practice Pop-Up, Anthropology and Art Practice Building, UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA
Fall 2022
Art Practice Pop-Up, Anthropology and Art Practice Building, UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA
2022
Group Exhibition, Ojai Studio Artist Scholarship, Ojai Valley Museum, Ojai, CA
Creative Employment
2022-2024 Illustrator for Daily Californian Newspaper, Berkeley, CA
2022 Clay Club Logo and Design Illustrator, Berkeley, CA
Festivals and Public Events
2020 Art in The Park, public art venue, Libby Bowl, Ojai, CA
2018 “Heart and Sole”, American Heart Association, San Antonio Elementary School, Ojai, CA
Creative Commissions
2023 “Flower Vase,” painting, Berkeley, CA. Private Commission
2023 Huxlei Start-Up Logo Website Design, Berkeley, CA
2021 “Para Mis Papas,” 9.25 x 9.25” Graduation Cap, Ojai, CA. Private Commission
2021 “Para Mis Papas,” 9.25 x 9.25” Graduation Cap, Ojai, CA. Private Commission
2020 “Tattoo Flower,” 8.5 x 11” original tattoo design of wildflowers, Ojai, CA. Private Commission
Awards and Honors
2023
Art Honors Program at the University of California Berkeley 2022 Ojai Studio Artist Scholarship
2022
Ventura College Art Scholarship
2021-2022
Award of Excellence 3D Design, Ventura College
2020-2021
Award of Merit Color and Design, Ventura College
2020-2021
Honorable Mention Ceramics, Ventura College