Sergio Tapia
(b. 1972)

Sergio Tapia has been carving and creating since he was five. "Being an artist is the one thing in my life that has never changed," he says. Tapia, the son of renowned artist Luis Tapia, was the first kid in Spanish Market. Even before there was an official Youth Market component to the summer event, Tapia would set up his work at the end of a table in his father's booth.
Differentiating oneself from a famous parent isn't always easy, but Tapia has successfully defined himself and his art. Every once in a while, he hears someone say to his father, "Oh, you're Sergio's Dad!"

When approaching each piece, he immerses himself in researching the art and history of his subject matter. "For whatever reason, I've always been into history," he says, "You have to know the story." For Tapia, both disciplines are intertwined, "Look at the history of the world. What we know comes from art. Art gives you a view of people at any certain given time."

Tapia plans out each piece, and is both methodical and creative in his approach. In doing so he acknowledges that he follows the basic rules of composition, balance and color but says: "I try to get something out of it that the viewer hasn't seen before." According to Tapia, "The science of art is a series of questions and every now and then someone has an answer."

As a child, Tapia remembers collecting matchbox cars, horse figures and hats. Now he collects Mexican masks as well as Spanish and Mexican ceramics.

Moses and the Burning Bush
Santa Fe, New Mexico, 2000
carved and painted wood

More About this Artist on the Web:

http://www.collectorsguide.com

Selections from the Diane and Sandy Besser Collection of Contemporary Hispanic Art

John M. Gallegos | Gustavo Victor Goler | Nicholas Herrera | Arthur López|

David Nabor Lucero| Diana Moya Lujan | Jerome Lujan | Jean Anaya Moya |

Mel Rivera | Arlene Cisneros Sena | Luis Tapia | Sergio Tapia |

Introduction | Links |