Check Out Monica Esposito’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Monica Esposito.

Monica, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Monica Esposito, born in Denver in 1978, is a working artist as well as a registered nurse in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at St. Mary’s Hospital in Grand Junction, Colorado. She moved to Texas with her family as a child and lived there for many years, although Colorado was always called home. As a young woman, Monica frequently visiting the Amon Carter Museum in Fort Worth and was exposed to many artistic visionaries of the west, including Georgia O’Keeffe. Monica returned to Colorado in 2001 after receiving her degree in Fine Arts, Painting, from the University of Texas. Although her focus as a young painter was on the human figure at University of Texas, she quickly turned to the western landscape for her inspiration. Monica paints in plein air to find inspiration for her larger studio pieces. She credits the art and life of Georgia O’Keeffe as one of her strongest influences. Monica attended classes at the Art Students League of Denver and is an active participant in the ASLD Summer Art Market for the past several years.

Monica is a member of the Plein Air Artists of Colorado, Western Colorado Center for the Arts and Oil Painters of America. You can find her work represented at the Sage Mountain Gallery in Salida, CO., the Bross Hotel, Paonia, CO., and Carlson’s Tasting Room, Grand Junction, CO.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I have always had a love for all things Colorado, but I truly found my artistic voice when I moved to the Western Slope of Colorado eight years ago. I have access to so much open space for exploring and painting on this side of the continental divide. After receiving my fine arts degree in 2001, I went back to school in 2008 to become a nurse. I wanted to have a career that supported my artistic career goals. The shift work schedule of nursing allows more schedule flexibility to have more painting time and I can also financially support myself while creating artwork that I am passionate about. The balance of these two careers can be challenging, but I am driven to create and I have made it work for the last 18 years. I also find that the stress of Neonatal Intensive Care is balanced well with my studio time, where I find there is also a release from the stress of nursing when I have a paint brush in hand.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am known especially for my depictions of the bold landscapes of the desert southwest, whether it’s the colorado river, the desert cactus or the various beautiful scenery of the Colorado Plateau (which spans from western Colorado, southeast Utah, northern Arizona and western New Mexico). I work mostly in oil paints, where I create a lot of my larger studio work based on plein air studies (landscape painting created outdoors). I often paint on the rim of the Colorado National Monument, Grand Canyon National Park, Zion National Park and in the San Juan Mountains of southern Colorado. I have built out a travel van specifically to be able to go and camp near painting destinations and you can usually find me adventuring whenever I am not working at the Hospital.

What matters most to you? Why?
I love to bring joy into other people’s lives and I believe I achieve this from always being genuine with what I create. I paint the places and subject matter that I love and that always seems to translate well when it’s coming from a genuine place in my heart.

Pricing:

• Original artwork ranges from $300-$4000

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.mespoart.com
• Instagram: @mespoart