A Bay Area native currently based in San Leandro, California, Edwin "Newbetter" Abrescy attributes much of his study in content to what he has experienced and learned during his ten years of work in the mental health industry -both on and off the clock. Developing his talent and skills as a youth, first with pencil, then pen compositions, Edwin evolved to the point of teaching himself how to paint in 2002. It is important to for him to share his art with others, just as the impact of being exposed to the works of others has fostered within Edwin interactions that have proved to be an integral part of his own personal evolution, as well as inspiring and fueling him to create, and make his works public. Through translating and creating a tangible record of his internal states, thought processes, emotional transitions, fears, joys, victories, and affirmations, the negative space in his life is filled, fleshed out, and completed as his part in an ongoing interaction with the world in which he exists.
Edwin has drawn on his experiences to build a voice through his art. Drawing from pieces of his past and present, as an ex-mental-health worker, as an entertainer, storyteller, and an American male who tries hard not to let these things get in the way, he speaks through his paintings about the wistful characters that are stage productions of the people he encounters, and the process of discovering and rediscovering beauty in the most unlikely of places.
Edwin is a self-taught artist, that, to this day, has not received any formal education in art.
Current Residence: San Leandro, California