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Mexican-born artist Esau Andrade Valencia comes from a family of folk artists that includes his mother, Guadalupe Valencia, and brother, Raymondo Andrade. In the best tradition of Latin American surrealists, he works with
a variety of pop culture and Latino symbols, skillfully twisting their meanings. He has been increasingly recognized as a master artist in the tradition of the great painters such as Diego Rivera and Rufino Tamayo, in whose
footsteps he follows. His paintings are included in museum collections throught the United States, including the Museum of Latin American Art, in Long Beach, California.

Esau is the illustrator, with his mother, of a book of poems by children, When Words Dream. A Perfect Season for Dreaming/Un tiempo perfecto para sonãr, written by Benjamin Alire Saenz, is his second book.
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Q&A

When did you realize you wanted to pursue art as a career?

I've been painting since I was very young. I grew up doing art, and surrounded by it: my mom painted professionally, my dad and his sisters, as a hobby. Just before finishing High School, though, it became clear that painting wasn't just a fun thing to do, but a necessary thing for me, a true calling.

Do you have a favorite technique? How would you describe your style?

I use oil painting for most of my work. I also like to work with tempera, and sometimes I mix different techniques to reach the result I want. As for my style, I think it can be described as surrealist, with a considerable influence from naive art...

What was the experience of working on A Perfect Season for Dreaming like?

I loved the story and poured my heart into illustrating it. To work on it was somehow to create a book like the the ones I used to enjoy as a child. It brought back childhood feelings and memories.

What are you working on now?

In addition to getting ready for some painting exhibits, I am currently working on some illustrations on the "rights of children" for an edition of The Universal Declaration of Human Rights that focuses on Baja California, Mexico. This is a joint project by the state of Baja California Norte and the IMAC. I have also started doing some paintings for a story I have in mind, of a boy who dreams about Noah's Ark. I hope to continue to be involved in children's book projects, as I've really loved my experiences with it so far. los derechos humanos de el estado de baja california norte aqui en mexico junto con el IMAC (instituto municipal de arte y cultura) es un centro cultural de aqui de tijuana

Posted February 2009

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