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BELL TOWER VENICE, ITALY
Regiane Yuki Sabanai Presents Joe
Esposito
Black and White
Nothing that I have to say about my art or myself is as important as the art itself. Either my art will speak to you
or it will not. I have no control over that. My purpose in this life is to create art. I am always deeply moved when
my work is appreciated but I work from a sacred place within and I know that what I create is not for everyone. I
have been fortunate because throughout my life, my art has had to ability to touch many people. For that, I am
eternally grateful.
CARRIAGES IN ROME - ITALY
CELEBRATION
DOCK IN VENICE
I did not choose to become an artist. Art chose me. Another world has always existed within me. It is a magical, mystical
place where almost anything is possible. Children know this world well. Unfortunately, as we grow up, reality slams shut
the gates to this sacred place. I have been blessed because this world remained alive in me and it grew into an
incredible inner kingdom. A great need to create developed. Over time, I learned to bring this world to life with paint.

My aim is to create art that is alive. I want my work to inspire and heal. Darkness and tragedy are everywhere. At this
point in my life, I do not want to create art that is going to reflect all of the pain and suffering that we all have
experienced in one form or another. There was a time when I needed to express the intense, brutal emotions that ripped
through my heart and soul. I did it with great passion and I did it because I was driven by an inner need. Today, I am
trying to reach beyond that in order create art that will shine a ray of light into a dark, desolate world. If I am able to
make someone feel good for one minute or bring a sense of hope into his or her world with paint, then I believe that I am
doing something that is worthwhile. I hope that somehow the light that I put into the world will one day shine back on my
own soul. This may have something to do with my own redemption.
JAZZ LADY
MINGUS, DURHAM & ORNETTE
Art has to be pure and authentic. I strive for strong underlying truths. I was fortunate enough to find my own voice. I
found my own way of speaking with paint. A brush is my instrument and it is connected to my own heart, soul and spirit.
I believe that my ability to create is a gift. Whoever gave me this gift did their part. My end of the deal is to take what I
was given as far as possible in my lifetime. I know that I have not come close to doing that. I do not think that I will ever
know. My job is to keep working. I am not the one who will be the judge of what I did with the talent that I was given.
Possibly my family, friends, people who are involved with my art, people who know about my art and ultimately God or
whoever is running this big circus will be the final judge.

I believe that life is about balance and I believe that balance is one of the most important elements in a work of art.
When something is out of balance, it cannot be right. I believe that less is more but it only works when all the essentials
are present. The big picture and overall design is an important consideration in all of my work. I try to find the essence
and the soul of the subject. I am not interested in every detail. They get in the way. I reduce things down to the basic
shapes that are capable of saying what needs to said. There is an unevenness throughout my paintings. Symmetry is
avoided unless I need to use it for a specific reason. A lot of my work has a black line around the shapes. The quality of
this line is important because it adds movement to the work. The black line gives the work a solid, strong feeling, which
is something that I need to feel in my work. I use intense, strong colors because they help to bring life into my work.
When I paint, it is similar to a musician improvising. One brush stroke leads to the next, one shape leads to the next,
one color leads to the next in the same way that one note will lead to the next. Things are always changing and I go
along with the changes. I begin to work and something else takes over. I have learned to trust and follow my instincts.
TOWN MEETING
WOMAN
Town Meeting
I have been painting all of my life. It was always there. Art is not just something that you do. It is something that you are.
I did not have any formal training but I was fortunate enough to work with a few very talented artists along the way.
There is one artist, the late David L. Frame who had a profound impact on my life. He believed in my art and me long
before I did. David came into my life and made me realize that my art is for real. He had the ability to inspire and light a
fire in me. The gratitude that I feel for what he did for me cannot be expressed in words. I would not be the man and the
artist that I am today if David and I did not meet, years ago, at one of life's many crossroads.

Everything inspires me. A tin can rolling down the street can inspire me as much as the greatest music ever played. A
crack in the sidewalk has the ability to move me as much as any masterpiece that has ever been painted.

I am currently in the process of building another studio. I hope that this will be the studio where I will do the remainder of
my life’s work. As far as where I am going with my work, all I can say is that the best is yet to come.

My work is in many private collections.
Z2.
Z
Studio
Studio Upstairs