* All images used with permission. Please do not distribute without first contacting the artist.
The experiences I had growing up in a bicultural family fuel the imagery, and emotional quality of my work. My father is an immigrant from Mexico, and my mother a white American. On a daily basis, I navigate cultural margins depending on the context of the situation. My work explores the complexities of identity with the understanding that perception is relative. Ambiguity, movement and obscurity play a role in the relationship between the figure and environment. Body language is an important signifier of the emotional temperament of the figure. Each work requires multiple layers of paint and a variety of techniques including masking, sanding, and dripping. I use both English and Spanish words interchangeably to title works which conveys the duality of my identity.
"Ochoa’s paintings fluctuate between modes of representation—including text and gestural marks—to present portraits as fragments of legibility, pressed upon by their encasing voids. The rich tapestry of marks keeps his subjects in flux, encouraging us to consider how we construct meaning toward identity.”"
"Like David Mach, I love Daniel's readiness to deconstruct his well handled, painterly craft. Fragmenting his images through his unique layering and masking process. I also love the subtlety with which he handles his tertiary hues."
"The faces in Daniel's paintings are an amazing mix of technical virtuosity and absolute wildness. Often starkly and mysteriously lit, reminiscent of Rembrandt, Daniel isn't painting portraits, he's painting the interiority he sees there."
