Esao Andrews The First Day
18" x 24" oil on wood 2011

Esao Andrew's paintings are usually characterized as surreal, gothic, or grotesque, and also tend to invoke emotion very well. For me this painting gives me a sense of mysteriousness and perplexity. The hot air balloons are contrasted and made to stand out more by the white and the blue of the hot air balloon against the dark orangey-yellowish color of the clouds. The smaller balloon is put in place to provide asymmetry, and the position of the flags suggests the hot air balloon in motion. Overall I think this is an amazing painting by a very talented artist.

-Andrew Chen