Esther Pearl Watson grew up in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Her family moved often, since her father’s hobby of building huge flying saucers out of scrap metal and car engines didn’t always sit well with the neighbors. Esther’s pieces are often overtly narrative, clear but mysterious scenes of houses or figures ornamented with snippets of prose telling just enough to get the viewer’s own imagination engaged, wanting to know more. Some are about family, some about places, all have a rich interior life. Her works without words are just as suggestive of story, also exerting a deep emotional pull.
PARTIAL LIST OF EXHIBITIONS
2010
Sandra Lee Gallery San Francisco, CA
solo show
June
2009
“VISIONS OF THE FUTURE”
Billy Shire Fine Arts Culver City, CA
January 10th, 2009– February 7th, 2009
“Incognito”
Santa Monica Museum of Art Santa Monica, CA
group show
May
Webb Art Gallery Waxahatchie, TX
group show
June
Domy AUSTIN, TEXAS
June
2008
WILLIAMSON GALLERY/ART CENTER
June 2008
“YOSEMITE STUDIO ”
Grasshut Gallery PORTLAND, OR
group show
June 6th, 2008 – July 1st, 2008
“LA PAINT ”
Oakland Museum of California
curated by Chief Curator of Art Philip Linhares
October 4, 2008 – March 15, 2009
“Incognito”
Santa Monica Museum of Art Santa Monica, CA
group show
The 3rd annual LA Weekly Biennial
(50+ living LA painters)
curated by Doug Harvey and opening January 12 at Track 16.
2007
Downright.
October 5th – November 17th, 2007
“Blab! show”, Copro Nason, Santa Monica, CA (group show)
“Downright” PEP Gallery, Brooklyn, NY (group show)
“The Weirding Field” La Luz De Jesus, Hollywood, CA (2 person show)
“Elevation” Limited Addiction Gallery, Denver, CO (group show)
2006
“What I Remember”, Mendenhall/Sobieski Gallery, Pasadena, CA (2 person show)
“Tang and Jello”, Tag Art Gallery, Nashville, TN (group show)
“Blab! show”, Copro Nason, Santa Monica, CA (group show)
Webb Art Gallery, Dallas, TX (group show)
DOMY, Houston, TX (group show)
Receiver Gallery, San Francisco, CA (group show)
“666 show” La Luz De Jesus Gallery, CA (group show)
2005
“The Blab Show”, Track 16, Santa Monica, CA (group show)
“Keep on Laughing”, Katherine Mulherin Contemporary Art Projects, Toronto, Canada (2 person show)
“Group Show”, Mendenhall/Sobieski Gallery, Pasadena, CA
“The Day the Chickens Died and Came Back to Life”, Ghetto Gloss, Los Angeles, CA (2 person show)
“Picture Mechanics Group Show”, The Society of Illustrators, New York, NY
2004
“Modern Love”, M Modern Gallery, Palm Springs, CA (group show)
“Close to Home” Giant Robot, Los Angeles, CA (group show)
“Up Our Sleeve” The Dublab Covers Project, Los Angeles, CA (traveling group show))
“The Art of Zines”, San Jose Museum of Art, San Jose, CA (group show)
“Giant Robot 10 Years”, Los Angeles, CA (group show)
“Post-It Notes from Zine Culture”, Junc Gallery, Los Angeles, CA (group show)
“Artistic Utopia”, La Luz de Jesus, Los Angeles, CA (group show)
LECTURES
Otis College of Art, Ca 2007
Hammer Museum, Ca 2007
Comicon International, San Diego, Ca 2006
Minneapolis College of Art + Design, Minneapolis, Minnesota 2005
Texas Southern University, Houston, Texas 2004
Art Center College of Design, Pasadena, CA 2003
“America Illustrata”, Rome, Italy 2000
Grafil, Olso, Norway 1999
TEACHING
Pratt Insititute, Brooklyn, NY 2000-2003
Art Center College of Design, Pasadena, CA 2003-Present
BOOKS
Romeo and Juliet, Blue Q 2008
What Cha Mean What’s a Zine?, Houghton Mifflin 2006
Trouble at Sugar Dip Well, Houghton Mifflin 2002
The Pain Tree and Other Teenage Angst-Ridden Poetry, Houghton Mifflin 2000
The Adventures of Jules and Gertie, Harcourt Brace 1999
Talking to Angels, Harcourt Brace 1995