He Was a Leathersmith Sought Out by Rock Stars. Then, He Turned to Art

"A 1987 newspaper article about the artist Frank Diaz Escalet noted that his inlaid leather paintings were joined by seams so fine that they were barely noticeable, even upon touch. The imperceptibility of Escalet's methods is akin to his presence in art history: extraordinary but often overlooked."

"he meshed a quotidian trade with fine art by carefully cutting shapes of dyed leather, inlaying them into his compositions, and painting over each shape to make an image. While Escalet's methods were proudly self-taught, the moniker does little justice to his fascinating background, his family's support, his underappreciated formal ingenuity, and his determination that taught him more than any fine arts program ever could."

"Among his most iconic works is Baile De Los Jivaros (1991), showing a group of dancers in front of a band in Puerto Rico. The painting's title references los jíbaros, Puerto Rican common farmers who sustained themselves off the land-a larger symbol of national rectitude."

Frank Diaz Escalet is a Puerto Rican-born, New York-raised artist whose innovative inlaid-leather paintings feature seams so fine they are barely noticeable to the touch. Born in Ponce in 1930, he immigrated to the United States at age four and grew up in Spanish Harlem and Greenwich Village. Initially operating a renowned leather shop serving famous clients like the Rolling Stones and Aretha Franklin, Escalet relocated to Maine in the 1970s and began producing figurative inlaid-leather compositions exhibited internationally. His work, collected by Ronald Reagan, centers on depicting average people and their lives. Using self-taught methods, he carefully cut shapes of dyed leather, inlaid them into compositions, and painted over each shape to create images. His iconic work Baile De Los Jivaros references Puerto Rican jíbaros, reflecting his pride in his heritage and the resilience he brought to America.

Read at Artnet News