An accomplished and sophisticated artist, Daniel Guillen works in an abstract expressionist manner, through which his emotive experiences are expressed. He chooses to work mainly in oil pastel on paper as this media gives him great versatility. Guillen uses a controlled pallet of colors which are blended directly on the paper with rags, turpentine, wood, even razor blades–which has given his work a raw, powerful look–and so the roughened edges of abstract shapes run up against shimmering fields of color that undulate through his work. Guillen is able to encapsulate an aspect of his psyche through his art which remains subdued in his outwardly reserved persona. His works aim to transcend–their essence is infinite, even while the body in its organic state remains painfully finite. Guillen’s art is a direct expression of his personal life experiences, his titles often illuminating the meaning that lies beneath the surface of his work.
Daniel Guillen was born in Tijuana, Mexico, and currently resides in Granada Hills, California.