was born in
Tulare, in 1930, the year of the depression. We were poor. I was born
number 3 in a family of 8 brothers and sisters. We were on welfare and I
spoke only Spanish because both our padrientes migrated from  Mexico. It
was unrelenting hunger and deprivation that trapped me into a corner of
life and it forced me to fight my way out by using my creativity. I didn't
know it at the time but carving little sculptures or terrones (dirt clods)
and making my own little toys out of broken wooden raisin trays and
drawing pictures on the planed dirt was my first introduction to art. I
loved doing art, but I made a terrible fruit picker.
I describe myself as a muralist, printmaker, art educator and community
activist. I look for my ideas in the Barrio, in the cantinas, in  places
where most artists dare not enter because of fear or non-interest. To
balance my perception of life, I also look for inspiration in landscapes.
Drives along the Sacramento Delta levees give me a panoramic view of the
valley, east to the Sierra Nevada, west to Mt. Diablo.
GUIDE TO
THE ESTEBAN VILLA PAPERS
1974 - 2002
Artist Statement
"Born to Where I Am Now"
Humble Beginning
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