INFORMATION
ARTIST STATEMENT:
Art to me has always been about magic--whether the power of realism to wake us up to the world around us or the power of imagery to evoke emotion. As a child, my favorite toys were crayons and coloring books, pencils and paper--and although I knew nothing of "Art," I remember magazine illustrations that frightened me and Holiday cards that took me to magical landscapes. Years later I found myself transfixed before a Van Gogh, unable to look away. Other museum visits found me walking down the street afterwards, mesmerized by colors and textures, shadows and reflections I hadn't noticed before.
I work on several paintings at a time, adding gradual layers of color each day. There's a tremendous joy in watching them develop until they finally "come to life." The imagery in the Mindscapes series happened when I needed a break and simply started with blank canvases, allowing myself to be surprised by my work, watching it take on a life of its own and move in directions I had never anticipated.
TRAINING:
In the late 1990s, I briefly studied Sumi-e painting at the Koho School in lower Manhattan. I began training at the Art Students League of New York in 2004, where I've studied drawing, pastel, watercolor and oil painting with a number of instructors. I've also taken workshops through The Art Students League, The National Academy and The Salmagundi Club. My aim is to develop a style that is uniquely my own, incorporating elements I've accumulated from my various courses and teachers.
BIO / EXHIBITIONS:
2005
The Art Students League of New York
The Art Students League of New YorkPhyllis Harrison Mason Gallery, 215 West 57th Street, NYCLeonid Gervits student show2006The Art Students League of New York
The Art Students League of New YorkCosta Vavagiakis student show2007 The Art Students League of New York
Sherry Camhy student showHugo Bastidas student showPostcards From the Edge benefit for VisualAIDSJames Cohen Gallery, 533 West 23rd Street, NYCNovember 30 - December 22008The Art Students League of New York
The Art Students League of New YorkPhyllis Harrison Mason Gallery, 215 West 57th Street, NYCBlue Dot Award for Dan Thompson/Michael Grimaldi student showFebruary 17-24 Internship at Tamarind Art Gallery142 East 39th Street, NYCOctober-December2009 Postcards From the Edge benefit for VisualAIDS
Postcards From the Edge benefit for VisualAIDSMetro Pictures, 519 West 24 Street, NYCJanuary 9-10The Art Students League of New YorkHugo Bastidas student showFebruary 1-732nd Annual Non-Member Juried Painting and Sculpture Exhibition Salmagundi Club, 47 Fifth Avenue, NYCJune 29 - July 102010The Art Students League of New York
The Art Students League of New YorkAnnual Holiday Show and SaleDecember 6-232011The Art Students League of New York
The Art Students League of New YorkHugo Bastidas student showJanuary 24-29 Click here to add text.
