Last week Kayleen and I spent the week in the Smoky Mountains National Park and it was one of the BEST trips ever! Since my parents live on the park’s border we spend a lot of time in the Smokies. This trip was the opposite of Murphy’s Law….what could have gone right did go right…all week. The weather was clear, the views were perfect, the crowds were low, and the traffic down and back was light. The biggest highlight of this trip was our climb to the top of Mt. Leconte. Number two highlight on the list was the view from the top of Clingmans Dome, where the picture above was taken. We got there just in time to see the sunset. Kayleen took some really good sunset photos with our digital SLR. They will definitely make it into frames and be displayed during the LCVA Holiday Salon Exhibition in the Fall. My photos will all become paintings. This weekend I’ll begin on a series of mountainscapes in watercolor with a flavor of Arts & Crafts style.
Verde, Watercolor, 12×18 (sold)
Currently on display at the Book Abbey in Adrian, MI.
Shadow Study
Along the cross country ski trail at Hidden Lake Gardens.
Dreaming of Warmth
Last week Kayleen and I went to Hidden Lake Gardens to do some cross country skiing. Afterwards we stopped into the conservatory where I snapped a few pics of things that remind me of warmth. I’m currently using this photo for new watercolor painting which is in progress.
Artist Statement
Artist Statement
Gregorio Perez
Gregorio Perez
My education in art began in college. I majored in Industrial Design and minored in Art. Much of my education was spent in the design studio sketching, marker rendering, conceptualizing new products for market, perspective drawing, and 3D modeling. The art minor was only a taste of fine art. I received basic instruction in photography, sculpture, painting, intaglio, printmaking, and graphic design but never received an in-depth study in any one area.
In 2004, I decided to begin my own in-depth study in art. I began by experimenting with watercolor painting. From a small studio in my house I started to create watercolor landscapes. My sources of inspiration come mostly from time spent outdoors fly fishing, backpacking, and canoeing. My goal when painting isnt to create realistic reproductions of photographs. Instead I simplify photographic images into basic lines and shapes. I exaggerate color and crop my paintings to emphasize lines. My desire to simplify comes from a belief that all things in nature have rhythm. Concentrating on rhythmic patterns clears my mind and takes me to a state of peace and relaxation. I try not to view nature through a realistic lens but from an impressionist viewpoint where colors blend and details are blurred. What I see most is repetition of lines and geometric shapes so this is what I try to express in my art.
Riley's Unprinted Mimbres Block
Yesterday I had the opportunity to teach my nephew Riley about linocut printmaking. We had a great time working together at Adrian College. We got to use the whole print studio all to ourselves. I started by showing Riley some examples of linocut and woodcut prints. I also showed him some of my past linocut blocks. Then I asked him to do a few sketches. One of his sketches was a rendition of Mimbres art. Before he started sketching I showed him a book of Mimbres artwork. I dont think he looked at it for more than 2-3 minutes. So it amazed me when he came up with this sketch. In that short 2-3 minute timespan he visualized and duplicated some typical Mimbre motifs….the hunter, the spirals, and the crosshatch. Since I’ve been studying Mimbres art for the past few months I was immediately drawn to this particular sketch, but I felt that he only did it because I told him I liked Mimbres Art. So I asked him to try sketching something different. I’ve seen a lot of Riley’s artwork so I know he likes sketching bugs, birds, and other animals. That’s when he started on the Giraffe sketch (see below). Since we didnt have a lot of time I showed him how to use the cutting tools and he immediately started to carve the giraffe image into his block. In the mean time I transferred his mimbres sketch onto a lino block by rubbing the back of the paper until the graphite appeared on the lino. While Riley carved his giraffe. I carved his Mimbre sketch. We didnt have time to print the Mimbre block but I plan to in the near future. My goal is to frame the giraffe print and the original sketch. I also want to frame his Mimbre print and original sketch. Then I’ll create a print in response to what Riley created. It’s all part of the Lenawee Artists of All Ages Exhibition concept scheduled for June 21 – July 21 at the LCVA Gallery.
Riley Perez Linocut
Linocut by Riley Perez, 5th GradeOn exhibit June 21 – July 21 at LCVA Gallery in Adrian
Carol's Ludington, Watercolor 9×12 (sold)
Rosa, 18×24, acrylic on canvas
This was painted from a photograph that my mom gave me. She was 21 when the photo was taken. The photo was old and faded which gave me the idea to use the faded color in the painting. As for acrylic, it’s still not my favorite medium. Some day when I get my own private studio I’ll start painting in oil again. As for painting portraits I think it’s more difficult than landscapes. I can change a landscape and it’s no big deal. I cant do that with a portrait. This was more of a challenge for me than anything I’ve done in the past two years.
Obsession, 16×22, 1987
This was created in 1987 for my Principles of 2D design class at Western Michigan University. I was 20 when I made this simple collage from Calvin Klein Obsession cologne advertisements. Anyway, when I was thinking about something to paint this weekend, this piece came to mind for some odd reason. So I brought it up from the basement, cleaned it off and hung it on the wall. If I do paint this I may call it “Reincarnation of Obsession”.
The Heron 