Today we’d like to introduce you to Alan Disparte.
Hi Alan, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Lucky is the word I’d use to describe my childhood: growing up, my parents let me draw on everything. I remember an extra thrill when I was seven – my dad encouraged me to paint characters on the van he used to deliver plants for his nursery business. I loved making a positive impression on strangers along his delivery route and creating my own characters and storylines anywhere with any medium. This was my first attempt at integrating art and commerce. I’ve always been drawn to counterculture, in particular its use of symbols to give voice to activism. Concert posters, album packaging and innovation in television programming equally attracted me. As a result, I started a career as a multimedia artist.
These visual influences are reflected in my creative work with Capitol Records, Paisley Park, Virgin Records and others. I’ve always loved music, entertainment and fashion – they offered creative space for a young artist to bridge the gap between design, music and the visual arts. When I began working as a graphic designer, I specialized in hand lettering. It was such a tactile physical experience. It all felt like art to me. On occasion, I still work on commercial projects. My deepest commitment is to my fine art practice. It serves as a form of therapy and expression, free from the restrictions of client-based design. Creating art is my personal bliss: I find it meditative and often lose myself in the process. I came to Austin through one of my best friends: I took several trips here and knew that I could live in this city. I love its landscape. My home and studio are next to a nature preserve with sweeping views of lush greenery. Wildlife here never sleeps and the woods are always alive. This resilient nature inspires me to live as fully as possible.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Making art is an act of faith. It takes diligence to dig into the dirt and commit to the process of investigation, especially when you start from nothing. Having life experiences and a good imagination to draw from also help. I’ve brought my own brand of weird to Austin: there’s room here to do so. What’s perhaps unusual to other people is often normal to me. I accepted that some time ago. And that brings freedom.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I feel I’ve come full circle when I think of my ancestors who migrated from Sicily to Louisiana, then Texas in the 1800’s. My family demonstrated this same resilience to overcome adversity in search of a place to call home. This history informs my own experience in Austin, where I fully find refuge in art. You can see most of my art and videos on Instagram: quiet_corners Photography Instagram: disparteranch.
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
Hollywood Babylon one and two by Kenneth Anger
On Waldon Pond by Henry David Thoreau
The Camera Artist, Poems by Joan E. Bauer
Cute, Quaint, Hungry and Romantic: The Aesthetics of Consumerism, by Daniel Harris
Supergirls by Mike Madrid
Instagram Illustrator Photoshop Stopmotion App.
Contact Info:
- Email: disparteranch@sbcglobal.net
- Website: alandisparte.com
- Instagram: quiet_corners
- Tik Tok: www.tiktok.com/@disparteranch
Image Credits
Meret Oppenheim’s Pet, Beard Hair and Hairspray, Digital Print. Milkroom, 60″x84″ Acrylic on Panel Heels, Hair, Hips, Video Still Phorm, 11″x14″ Acrylic on Panel Betty Jean, 10″x 8″ Encaustic, Ink Transfer Curious Pose, 14”x11” Spray Paint on Gessoed Panel Binded, 12”x12” Charcoal on Gessoed Panel
