Today we’d like to introduce you to Ariel Esquivel.
Hi Ariel, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I’ve always been very verbal and expressive. Even as a child, I loved talking, sharing ideas, and connecting with people. But being an only child also meant there were many moments where I didn’t always have someone immediately to engage with, so I naturally turned that energy inward and into creativity.
From early on, I was constantly making things. I had a vivid imagination and was always thinking of ideas, inventions, and different ways of doing things. A lot of that came from necessity as well. I grew up with limited resources, so if I wanted or needed something, I often had to figure out how to create it myself. I would repurpose materials from around the house or outside, learning early how to see possibility in what was already available.
That way of thinking stayed with me and eventually became the foundation of my artistic practice. Before I ever worked in printmaking, I was painting with my children, simple brush painting and paint pouring sessions that became a shared creative space for us. Those moments were really important because they shifted art from something individual to something relational.
From there, I began exploring printmaking, which expanded the way I could build layers, memory, and texture into my work. It felt like a natural evolution of everything I had already been doing just in a more intentional form.
As my practice grew, so did my interest in curating and community-based work. I started creating exhibitions that opened space for other artists and conversations around identity, culture, and belonging. But at the core, my work still comes from the same place it always has: connection, resourcefulness, and the desire to transform everyday experience into something meaningful.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
No, it hasn’t been a smooth road and I think for me the challenges were never just one thing, but layers that shifted over time.
One of the earliest challenges was growing up with limited resources. It forced me to be very resourceful, but it also meant I had to learn how to create without access to the materials, spaces, or validation that sometimes make art feel “supported” from the start. I had to trust my own instinct and figure things out as I went, often improvising with whatever was available.
Later on, another challenge was balancing creativity with real life responsibilities, especially motherhood. There were seasons where making art felt secondary to everything else that needed my attention. But at the same time, that period also changed my work in a deep way it brought me into a more honest relationship with time, memory, and everyday life, even if it wasn’t always easy to hold both roles.
There were also moments of self-doubt, especially when moving between being an artist and a curator, or trying to define where I fit within those spaces. I’ve had to learn that my practice doesn’t have to fit neatly into one category, even if that uncertainty can feel uncomfortable at times.
Looking back, the challenges weren’t just obstacles they shaped how I see and work. They pushed me toward resourcefulness, adaptability, and a practice that is deeply rooted in lived experience rather than ideal conditions.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
My work exists between making and holding space for others. I am a multidisciplinary visual artist, curator, arts advocate, and workshop facilitator, and my practice is rooted in storytelling through material, memory, and connection. I primarily work with printmaking, painting, and mixed media processes that often begin in very everyday, tactile ways collecting natural materials, layering textures, and building imagery that reflects lived experience rather than something purely imagined.
A big part of my practice centers around nature, family, and intergenerational connection. I often create work that begins with simple moments walking outside with my children, gathering leaves, or painting together and then translating those experiences into more layered works through printmaking and repetition. I’m interested in how memory is held in materials, and how something as simple as a leaf or a mark can carry emotional weight over time.
Before arriving at printmaking, I spent a great deal of time painting with my children through traditional brush painting and acrylic paint pouring, which taught me to let go of control and embrace process. That eventually evolved into printmaking, which gave me a way to build structure around those intuitive beginnings while still preserving a sense of spontaneity and discovery.
Alongside my studio practice, I curate exhibitions and develop community-centered arts programming. I’m drawn to creating exhibitions that bring artists together around shared themes of identity, culture, belonging, and place, while also designing workshops that encourage people of all ages and backgrounds to see themselves as creative. What I’m most proud of is not just my individual artwork, but the opportunities I’ve had to build spaces where artists and communities can connect, learn from one another, and feel genuinely seen.
What sets my practice apart is that it is deeply relational. It is not separate from my life, it is built directly from it. My work is shaped by motherhood, resourcefulness, curiosity, and lived experience, and I’m interested in how something deeply personal can also become collective. Whether I’m creating artwork, curating exhibitions, or facilitating workshops, my focus is always on connection: between people, materials, place, and the stories we carry.
Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
People can work with me through collaborative art projects, curated exhibitions, public art opportunities, artist residencies, workshops, and community-based programming. I’m especially interested in projects that center storytelling, cultural identity, place, and intergenerational connection, and I enjoy collaborating with artists, nonprofits, museums, schools, libraries, and community organizations.
I’m also actively seeking opportunities to exhibit my work through solo exhibitions, group shows, site-specific installations, and alternative art spaces. I value partnerships that create meaningful, accessible experiences where artwork can spark conversation, encourage participation, and bring people together.
Support can take many forms attending exhibitions, participating in workshops, sharing my work with others, collecting artwork, commissioning new work, or connecting me with organizations, venues, and communities that align with my practice. Every introduction, conversation, and opportunity helps expand the reach of my work and creates new possibilities for collaboration.
I’ve also had the opportunity to participate in a documentary project and an upcoming short film, and I’m interested in continuing to explore storytelling through film, including documentary work that highlights art, culture, and community. I’m always open to collaborating with filmmakers, writers, photographers, and other creatives whose work intersects with these areas.
At the heart of everything I do is a desire to build lasting relationships and create opportunities where art can exist beyond the studio fostering connection, dialogue, curiosity, and a deeper appreciation for the stories we carry.
Pricing:
- Open for commissions contact me for pricing
Contact Info:
- Website: http://ariel-esquivel.pixels.com/
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/ariel.esquivel24?igshid=MzMyNGUyNmU2YQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ariel-esquivel-502392208?utm_source=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=member_ios
- Other: https://linktr.ee/arielesquivelartist
