Texas-based artist Adrian Esparza disassembles sarape blankets and with wood, nail and enamel reworks the thread to create these colorful geometric installations. On an interview with Glasstire he explains his influence and process:

“My first exposure to art was through craft. Early memories include manipulating Popsicle sticks, carving balsa wood, making ceramics with my grandmother, and seeing my mother sewing clothing and my uncle building guitars. Hands were manipulating objects, and careful calculations were necessary in order to conserve resources and complete a project successfully. Craft laid the foundation for the formal issues that I would later learn in school.”

“Setting this awareness aside, I approach found objects with a kind of assertiveness. Growing up, I remember objects being used again and again, broken objects being restored, and the simplest object becoming valuable. So, I return to the found object and attempt to re-instill a kind of lost value.”

“The sarape pieces are about transformation — about a history that is used in order to construct a new form. They are also about a diffusion of color and the expansion of space. The side-by-side forms create a dialogue while revealing the repetitive process of distance traveled and perhaps even the act of reading itself.”

We could not find a website for the artist but much of his work can be seen here at Taubert Contemporary gallery.

Images: Courtesy of Adrian Esparza and Taubert Contemporary.