Why This Artist Scrapes Away His Own Paintings

Angel Otero paints in reverse — layering and layering, then waiting and scraping. Skins of paint are lifted to reveal the happy accidents in what he calls a kind of time capsule. In our third episode of How We Art, we visited Angel Otero's Brooklyn studio, trying our hand as his studio assistant for the day. Between scraping paint and cutting collage pieces, we talked about his grandmother's house in Puerto Rico, the blue land crabs that connect his father and grandfather, and how he started his career as an insurance agent before making it big as an artist full-time. Summary: 00:00 Intro 00:26 Touring the studio space (both old and new) 02:38 Hands on with Angel’s scraping process 06:45 Angel’s wall of painted objects 07:27 Cutting out gold fish 08:23 Angel’s career from insurance agent to artist 10:15 On his grandmother’s influence 12:08 On finding his subject matter 14:25 Artistic influences: Arnaldo Roche Rabell 15:30 Studio mood board and personal ephemera 16:01 On the influence of his father and grandfather 18:35 Works going to the Newport Art Museum 19:02 Favorite museum, artwork, and color How We Art is the series that takes you inside the art world and demystifies how to see, how to make, and how to experience everything art has to offer. This is episode three. Let us know what you think in the comments. Special thanks to ‪@HauserWirth‬ for coordinating the interview! — Subscribe to our YouTube:    / artdrunk   Sign up for our newsletter: https://www.artdrunk.com/subscribe Follow us on Instagram:   / artdrunk   ABOUT ARTDRUNK ArtDrunk is a global platform that inspires all to explore the world through art. We make art approachable, engaging, and relevant for a new generation, creating content—both online and offline—that foster community and connection across cultures.