Today we’d like to introduce you to Sergio Teran.
Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
I was reluctantly born in the parking lot of a Johnsons Market on the fringes of L.A in the late 1970’s. Being a hyperactive kid got me into trouble often. At the age of 10, while chasing some alley cats through greasy equipment, I fell off the roof of a carburetor shop. I was tripped up by a box of sharpened, pencils.
The fall bruised me up pretty good and the box of pencils came down with me. There was a 2B, a 4B, a 6B and a spotless pink pearl eraser. All of it fanned out on the floor next to me. The tin pencil-box was inscribed, on the inside w the words “Not Yours, Property of T.B.” Those pencils led me to take up drawing real fast. From the age of 10-18, I drew often and practiced hard.
Eventually, my sketchbooks and paintings got me into art school. My early interest in images and art came from Skateboard graphics, L. A. murals and comics. My art interest became more sophisticated during college at the Art Center in Pasadena. I got to see my first deer in Pasadena hills (they were not healthy looking). I also started visiting L.A. galleries and museums regularly. After the art shows, we’d hang-out at coffee shops (that were not Starbucks) and talk about art making and moving to New York.
In the year 2000, I relocated my life and moved to NYC for Grad school at NYU. Graduate studies went as expected but living in NYC really tested my artist chops. For 7 years, I lived like a pirate. Moving around a lot, working various odd jobs, I did a lot of drinking and saw shows and got into the Met Museum for a dollar. We made just enough money to have a shabby studio to make work in… and It was great.
It’s no longer there but New York Central Art supply was one of my side jobs. It was on Third Avenue across from Webster Hall. This store drew a fancy clientele. You either loved it or hated it.
Artists who loved it were fancy names like, Francesco Clemente, Claus Oldenburg, Kiki Smith, to name a few. One day I waited on the famous painter, Tony Bennett. I nervously asked him “What can I get you, sir? He replied, “I needa tube a wadda culla – burnt umba” “Okay Got it! “ Wait, — I also need some pencils and get me a pink pearl”
In 2004 I began showing in Boston MA, Brooklyn NY and Los Angeles. I was selling work but still working a side job to make ends meet. In 2007, I moved back to Los Angeles. Today, I am Art maker and a Professor of Art.
Please tell us about your art.
First and foremost I am a painter, but I do like working within other disciplines.
Regardless of the medium, I favor a physical approach to art-making, and I try to imbue the art object with that imprint, i.e. marks echo gesture, layers are built up through various stages of media over long periods, and surfaces express diverse textures and treatments.
My paintings are visceral and I deal with images of representation. I am a storyteller and in my work, you will find a spectrum of painting. I use figuration/people in my work as a way to represent the diversity in Los Angeles and contemporary painting in the U.S.
I enjoy working in multimedia and often experiment with surface texture. What you should know about my work is that it is meant to be experienced in person. I would not categorize myself as a political painter though I believe, for me, it is inherently political to be a Latino and an artist within our current political climate.
What do you think about conditions for artists today? Has life become easier or harder for artists in recent years? What can cities like ours do to encourage and help art and artists thrive?
Our culture, technology and our economy is constantly changing but being an artist has always been a challenging endeavor within a Capitalist society, it’s not a career for everyone.
The #1 way that this city, Los Angeles, can help artists thrive/exist is to offer affordable housing to working-class residents of Los Angeles of all races of which artists are a part of.
How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
Currently, I have no gallery affiliation so find me on Instagram. I regularly post updates on exhibitions and current projects in and around Los Angeles. I also have a website.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.sergioteran.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sergioteranarts/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pg/SergioTeranArts/about/?ref=page_internal
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