NIAD studio artist Luis Estrada’s practice is rooted in painting, drawing and sculpture. Estrada likes to draw straight from his head and often explores his experiences living in Richmond, California, sharing “I’ve been in Richmond a long time, 17 year olds, 16, 15, 14, 13, 12 years old. Long time. A lot of numbers in my head. Richmond has a lot of noise, too many cars, the noise is every day, every morning, every afternoon, every night. Richmond has a lot of people.”
A self-described weather man, Estrada is interested in natural disasters and powerful climate phenomenons like tornadoes and hurricanes. He often speaks poetically of the weather, saying “Number one tornado eating the mud. Tornadoes suck up the air and blow the mud into the sky and toys fly everywhere. Tornadoes eat the houses.”
Estrada is an enthusiastic wrestling fan, frequently drawing and sculpting his favorite wrestlers John Cena and Nicky Bella. He likes to first draw men, then the divas from both American and Mexican wrestling.
A strong fixture in the NIAD studio, Estrada enjoys making jokes and working alongside his best friend, Julio Del Rio, and Studio Facilitator Andres Cisneros Galindo, who is a long term anchor for Estrada’s work. Estrada has a strong dedication to his work at NIAD. Sharing about his time at NIAD he says, “I’ve been working at NIAD a long time, working a lot, painting at the art center with a lot of paint, a lot of watercolors. I’ve been coming 15 years. 15 years I’ve been working real hard.”
(Traducción al Español)
La práctica de Luis Estrada está enraizada en la pintura, el dibujo, y la escultura. A Estrada le gusta dibujar inspirándose directamente de su cabeza. A menudo, explora sus experiencias de vivir en Richmond, California. Estrada comparte: “He estado en Richmond por mucho tiempo, 17 años, 16, 15, 14, 13, 12 años. Un largo tiempo. Muchos números en mi cabeza. Richmond tiene mucho ruido, demasiados autos, el ruido es todos los días, todas las mañanas, todas las tardes, y todas las noches. Richmond tiene mucha gente”.
Estrada, que se describe a sí mismo como hombre del tiempo, está interesado en desastres naturales y fenómenos climáticos poderosos como tornados y huracanes. A menudo habla poéticamente del clima, diciendo: “El tornado número uno se come el barro. Los tornados absorben el aire y lanzan el barro al cielo y los juguetes vuelan por todas partes. Los tornados se comen las casas”.
Estrada es un entusiasta fanático de la lucha libre, y con frecuencia dibuja y esculpe a sus luchadores favoritos, John Cena y Nicky Bella. Le gusta dibujar primero a los hombres y luego a las divas de la lucha libre, tanto estadounidenses, como mexicanos.
Estrada, un integrante sólido en el estudio de NIAD, disfruta haciendo bromas y trabajar junto a su mejor amigo, Julio Del Rio, y al facilitador de estudio, Andrés Cisneros Galindo, quien es un ancla a largo plazo del trabajo de Estrada. Estrada tiene una gran dedicación a su trabajo en NIAD. Compartiendo sobre su tiempo en NIAD, menciona: “He estado trabajando en NIAD
durante mucho tiempo, trabajando mucho, pintando en el estudio usando mucha pintura, y mucha pintura de acuarela. Ya llevo 15 años viniendo. 15 años he estado trabajando muy duro”.
// Luis’ available work //
exhibition history
an echo carries texture // organized by Steph Kudisch // NIAD Online Exhibition // June 2023
Exploring Arts Through Sound // organized by NIAD artists Kiesha White, Rebecca Jantzen, and Luis Estrada // NIAD Annex Gallery Exhibition // June 2023
Into the Brightness: Artists from Creativity Explored, Creative Growth & NIAD // Oakland Museum of California // May 2023
The Shape We’re in Feels Like the Colors of Hope, organized by Cynthia Branvall // NIAD Online Exhibition // May 2023
Empty Kind Of Full, organized by Tara Neuffer // NIAD Online Exhibition // May 2023
A NIAD Art Books Show, organized by NIAD artist Karen May // NIAD Online Exhibition // May 2023
What a Wonderful World! // An Exhibition in the Office Suite of Mayor Eduardo Martinez // NIAD Online Exhibition // February 2023
Waking, Breathing, Making! organized by Laura Kamian McDermott // NAID Online Exhibition // February 2023
Larger Than Life: S/Heroes, GOATs, and Other Legends organized by Zoya Kocur // NIAD Online Exhibition // February 2023
Search Engine organized by Diego Leclery // NIAD Online Exhibition // January 2023
I Dreamt the Sun Was in My Bed Organized By SF State University’s Fall 2022 Exhibition Design Class // NIAD Online Exhibition // December 2022
Holiday Gift Guide // “Between Worlds” organized by Joey Enos // NIAD Online Exhibition // December 2022
Making in Color organized by Edwige Charlot // NIAD Online Exhibition // November 2022
All That Is Solid Becomes Vapor ,organized by Emily Chao // NIAD Online Exhibition // October 2022
Feeling Language, organized by Kate Laster // NIAD Gallery Exhibition // October 2022
Day Or Night It Looks Like Night, organized by Liliana Herrera // NIAD Gallery Exhibition // September 2022
Told Through A Line, organized by Risa Lenore // NIAD Online Exhibition // September 2022
Question Mark, organized by Betsy Odom // NIAD Online Exhibition // August 2022
I Wanna See All My Friends At Once, organized by Cone Shape Top // NIAD Online Exhibition // August 2022
A Little Bit of Everything: Fashion & Fiber at NIAD // NIAD Gallery Exhibition // July 2022
Living forces, organized by Fernanda Martinez // NIAD Online Exhibition // July 2022
A New Geometry, organized by e bond // NIAD Online Exhibition // July 2022
Summer Break, organized by Matthew Goldberg // NIAD Online Exhibition // June 2022
High Five, organized by Emma Spertus and Ember Avalos // NIAD Online Exhibition // June 2022
Color as Energy Field, organized by Chinzalée Sonami // NIAD Online Exghibition // June 2022
Not Quite Fatal, organized by Chelsea Smith // Wave Pool Gallery, Cincinnati // June 2022
Can’t Be Shook, organized by Alex Gartelmann // NIAD Online Exhibition // April 2022
WIN WIN 10 Silent Auction Preview Exhibition // NIAD Gallery Exhibition // February 2022
Day or Night it Looks Like Night, curated by Liliana Herrera // NIAD Online Exhibition // February 2022
Eternal Idol, organized by Emily Harris // NIAD Online Exhibition // February 2022
Voice Inside, organized by Sunila Bajracharya // NIAD Online Exhibition // January 2022
Murmuration, organized by Alisa Golden // NIAD Online Exhibition // January 2022
Through My Eyes// organized By Scott Hewicker and Cliff Hengst NIAD Art Center 2020
Championship Belt // organized by Deatra Colbert and Ann Meade Mule Gallery San Francisco 2019
Turn To Stone // organized by Em Kettner NIAD Art Center 2019
Hailing From Parts Unknown // organized By Curtis Turner May 2019
Books, Man // organized by Mike Monteiro NIAD Art Center 2019
Redefining Contemporary Art // organized by Courtney Eldridge Depot Steamboat Springs 2019
¡Trio! // Roll Up Project, Oakland // 2019
Together // organized by Laurie Reid NIAD Art Center 2018
It’s Complicated // organized by Kathleen King NIAD Art Center 2018
The Genre Leaps // organized by Margaret Tedesco NIAD Art Center 2018
Give A Little Take A Little: Real Time & Space at NIAD // organized By Lexa Walsh NIAD Art Center 2018
Reinventing History // NIAD Art Center 2018
Cyrano // organized By Em Kettner NIAD Art Center 2018
Weather Reports // NIAD Art Center 2018
All Of The Light // organized by Gina Borg NIAD Art Center 2017
The Language of Line // organized by Susan Alexander NIAD Art Center 2017
The Fourth Dimension, organized by Marja Galpin van der Loo // NIAD Art Center 2017
We Can Do It! 2 // Hurwich Library, Alliant University San Francisco 2017
Igneous Intrusions // organized by Jon Shibata NIAD Art Center 2017
Curious Weave // organized by Ramekon O’Arwisters NIAD Art Center 2016
Adventure! // organized by Scott MacLeod NIAD Art Center 2015
Absence of Deliberate Silence // organized by Lacey Haslam NIAD Art Center 2015
Wrapped Up In You: NIAD’s Quilts // NIAD Art Center 2015
Making Friends // organized by John Casey NIAD Art Center 2015
City In Motion // NIAD Art Center 2014
Avatar // organized by Justine Frischmann NIAD Art Center 2014
Mud, Honey // NIAD Art Center 2013
You Are Here // organized by Robert Wuilfe NIAD Art Center 2013
Outsider Art // organized by Phil Linhares and OMCA Oakland Airport 2103
recent press
East Bay Express: Art, BART, and the WWE (2019 September)
San Francisco Chronicle: ‘Avatar’: Exhibition At NIAD Art Center(2014 January)