Resident Spotlight 2012: Francis Estrada

Born in the Philipines and currently residing in Brooklyn, Francis Estrada is a visual artist, Museum Eduacator at MoMA, and freelance educator of Filipino art and culture. His artwork uses strategies of omission, blurring and fading of visual information to examine both his own and the viewers' perceptions.

Now that the 2012 Residents have settled in to their awesome communal studio, we wanted to see if we could get a bit more of a sense of their studio practices, working habits, and their personalities. So, we asked each of them to answer a series of questions ranging from their artistic fantasies to their favorite foods.  Here are Francis's responses... 

PS: What are you working on now?

FE: At this particular moment, I'm working on materializing a few drawings I've imagined working on but have not had the time to do so.  My idea is to address perception; what the viewer may "bring" to an image.

PS: What is your experience so far?

FE: So far, it has been rejuvenating and exciting to know that when I wake up in the morning, all I have to think about are: "I need coffee!!!" and "What do I need to continue working on or play around with in the studio?". I feel as though I've been given a "time warp card": that I get to stop time and just focus on personal projects/ideas...that I get to delay thinking about ensuring my work responsibilities are covered and that our bills get paid. It's almost like playtime without rules/consequences.

PS: If a celebrity were to play you in a movie, who would it be?

FE: Tony Leung Chiu Wai or Johnny Depp. I get to choose, right?

PS: Early morning bird or night owl?

FE: Night owl. Definitely.  I could do early morning if needed. I don't need much sleep.  I've actually been waking up earlier then my usual time, planning my studio work time.

PS: Tips on staying focused?

FE: Learn how to focus first.

PS: What is your favorite food? Savory or sweet?

FE: Savory.  Filipino food- I'm biased.  Specifically seafood. Grilled fresh fish or crustaceans.

PS: Preferred mode of transportation: subway, taxi, bike or foot?

FE: Foot.  I feel like I have more control.

PS: If you couldn’t work in the arts/be an artist, what kind of work would you do?

FE: Movie stuntman.

PS: What are your creative inspirations?

FE: Too much to list.

PS: If you could collaborate with anyone, who would it be?

FE: I think this would depend on my mood. Preferably someone mellow and would teach me new skills or ways to approach different subjects/ideas. Does that sound generic? That's what I want anyway.

PS: If you could have lived as an artist in any time period, when would that be?

FE: Now's about a good a time as any.

Check out Francis's website for more about his work: www.francisestrada.com

Click here to read about Francis's professional life.