Daniel Beteta
2022 Capstone
Bio
Institute: University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) Richardson, TX
Major: Design and Production (School of Arts, Technology, and Emerging Communication)
Education
In a world where endless competition and overcoming one’s peers was an accepted notion for success, I stood out as an outlier. Unlike everyone in my field of study, I lacked the passion to strive for greatness, instead, I wallowed in my own uncertainty to become someone with a purpose. Before my academic career began, I had already allowed my stresses and fears of incompetence to take ahold of me, dictating my every move. At the time, I had an innate sense of where I stood in this world, to forever be a steppingstone for others to succeed while I was left in the dust to be forgotten and discarded.
I was not blessed with the admirable qualities of patience and persistence of an animator, nor did I possess the attributes of immense dedication found in a game developer. However, my entire perspective of my place in this world suddenly shifted when I was introduced to the wellspring of creative potential found in the career path of a free-form designer.
Artist Statement
Art has often been defined as a subjective expression of creativity, and that is perhaps
one of the primary reasons I chose to follow the path of an emerging artist. It is not necessary
for art to be stylistically perfect to be appreciated, it simply needs to evoke an emotional
response in the viewer and adequately communicate its message. Like most artists, I find
inspiration from viewing the works of other creative individuals, especially those whose style expresses surrealism. Despite appearing bizarre and unsettling on the surface, my work is
still intended to convey a meaningful message if the viewer allows their imagination to
fill in the blanks.
As a result of facing life's numerous challenges, a lot of people experience immense
emotional distress that often goes unnoticed and disregarded. My project aims to raise
awareness of this distress. To accomplish this, I will be utilizing a surrealist art style, which is generally depicted as visually confusing works whose meanings are shrouded in ambiguity.
Using the medium of charcoal, my rough, yet deliberate line work will give off the impression
of a frenzied scrawl, complemented by a lack of color that further emphasizes the dreary
overtones of my art style.
It is often the most powerful work of art that allows viewers to infer their own meaning or
message from it. While visually appearing purposefully puzzling for the audience to solve on
their own, it should tease the viewer with small hints of why it was drawn as it was. I strive as
an artist to convey that bizarre yet fascinating feeling to my audience when they view my work.
Art does not have to be perfect in all aspects for it to be emotional and meaningful. The true
beauty of art is defined by the viewer’s imagination.