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No. 14. Voice From the Studio. The Newsletter of The Art of Felix Berroa. Marietta -Atlanta-, Georgia, August, 2006

Para Abrir la Version en Español Apriete aqui.

Most Recent Works:

INTRODUCTION: As a boy I have always had an attitude of hard-worker. An inherited attitude from my father Antolin Reyna who was a farmer during all his life. With about 10 or 12 years old, I shining shoes at the Independence Park of San Pedro de Macoris, R. D., -as years late famed baseball player Sammy Sosa did it in the same place-. Also I saling candles on the Day of the Dead (down the street), peeled oranges in the "hot corner" of my neighborhood, "ice creams in sticks" (for the streets), home made kites and slingshots in front of the house, etc. Everything to get a few "pesos" to use them to buy historiet books or cartoon books of superheroes as Tarzan, Superman, The Phantom, Wonder Women, Chano, etc. ), art suply (tempera, pencil of graphite and charcoal, papers and common home paint oil lacker or enamol, etc ), "directional light" for my "patineta" -home made wood skooter made by myself. Was cool to have a wood skooter with "stop and directional light"-, etc. (That was around 1963-1968). For that reason, for those who could know me from my years of my childhood in San pedro de Macoris, it will no be surprise that in a year I can create between 75 and 100 works or more. That explain the amount of "recent" paintings here.

In 1980, Félix Rodríguez Báez, Director of the Fine Arts School of the Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña, Puerto Rico, write about my work dedication:

"His days with us has been one of incessant work and dedication. He has also been, conscious of his role as a representative of the Dominican Republic in Puerto Rican lands. He give hinself entirely to the serious and consistent work and in the exhibition that we offer you can see the result of this dedication."

" And he offers us a minimal part in quantity of the whole made work. It is good to see a young artist that at the time to select the works for an exhibition of his effort, be without being shown a large number that the chosen ones." . Click here to read the complete introduction to my 1980 exhibition in Puerto Rico.-spanish only for now-.

 

My Art Philosofy

Since my time in the Dominican Republic, my idea on the art has been that the artist is a kind of sponge, songwriter singer, of the things that surround him in a certain society. Therefore, he should sing to all that affects his sensibility, his conscience. The "technique" is the result of the academy, the experience with the materials, the learning "after seen the art works of the masters" around the world through the years. (One of the popular Hispanic singers I enjoy listening is the Panamanian Rubén Blades, because of his high "musical quality and great voice" (The technique); and the content of the words -the literature- in his songs, where the expressed a high feelings toward his native country -Panama -, the people, hispanoamerica, the love, the pain, etc. (the message). One of his very impressive CD's is titled "Tiempos" -Times-).

To write more on the matter of the "technical" and the "message", I will point out the case of Fernando Botero from Colombia. Famous around the world, millionaire. His works are in many museums around the world. His work of nudes, portraits and his compositions about his country (Colombia) are highly artistic and acceptable for most people -technical, composition, subject-. However, there are many people that in their top of the success, will no care about any sad thing, but NO IN A TRUE ARTIST. Fernando Botero is An ARTIST. In spite of having all that achievements, Fernando Botero was "sensitive" of what happening in his country. He also paint about the crisis of his Colombia : the violence, etc.

When I left the Dominican Republic in 1981, I made an exhibition of farewell to my friends and the local artistic atmosphere. The exhibition of farewell was titled "La Vida, el Sueño y la Muerte" (The Dream, the Life and the Death)", exhibited in the Gallery Paiewonski, in the capital city Santo Domingo. In that time I prepares the following statement:

"The subject in Art has to be found
in the happiness and in the sadness
in the well-being and in the pain
in the beauty and in the ugliness
in the maternal love and in the passionate
in the smile of a child,
or in the softness of an old man.
In short, The Life, the Dreams and Death of all human beings."

Felix Berroa, 1981. Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

For those who not yet have read my biography, I'm more than 50 years old and I have studied 5 years "Fine Arts" at the Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artes; "Art Education" at the Universidad Autonoma de Santo Domingo -UASD-; two years in "Wood Carving", at the Centro Nacional de Artesania. All three educational centers located in Santo Domingo, RD. Also I studied different techniques of graphic, as etching, intaglio silk screen, lithograph, and experimental drawing at the Escuela de Artes Plasticas of the Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña, in San Juan Puerto Rico.

 

SKETCHES.

In previous time I sketched all the ideas that were come in my mind for future works. They were so many ideas that flow in my mind that I had several full folders with sketches. In the last 5 years I changes the procedure. I no longer make sketches on small paper, but rather I write the ideas or the titles only in a notebook. When I begin a work, painting or drawing, I make it directly on the canvas or paper. The initial sketch is captured in my mind. The second sketch is the one that I delineate with pencil or a watery acrylic on the canvas or paper. Due to this, I always have several blank canvases in the study that I use each time that I have an interesting idea, only beginning it to finish it in another moment.

 

THE SPANISH EXHIBITION

I was already to begin the finished of a group of works I have sketched , when it come out the opportunity to exhibit in an exhibition with artists of Spanish origin here in Atlanta, organized for a local Hispanic organization -no related with the art-. Was long time that I didn't participate in a Hispanic exhibition, for what I considers it special. In previous times I have participated in a few Hispanic exhibitions: New York City: Museum of Contemporary Hispanic Art -MOCA -, and in the Dominican Republic Consulate. In Long Island, New York: Discovery Gallery, "Hispanic American Artists Exhibition of Long Island." Town of Hemptead: "Hispanic Heritage Month Exhibition". Art Gallery of Stony Brook University: "Hispanic Heritage Month Exhibition". Islip Museum: "Hispanic American Artists Exhibition." In my 25 years living in the United States, all the other exhibitions activities have been among North American, and organized by them.

Because was long time that didn't participate among Spanish American exhibitions, I was excited with the idea to make contact with my community and to meet other local Hispanic artists.

I thought in the idea of pay an "artistic quota" from my conscience toward my Hispanic ethnicity. As I see the exhibition with a "cultural focus", I decided to prepare something special based on two related concepts: the origin of the Hispanic-America and the Hispanic communities in the United States. So I began to work full time in a work of two concepts or two ideas in two canvas titles: "Hispanoamerica: Origen Comun y Manos no Encontradas". ( Hispanic Amerca: Common Origin and no Finds Hands).

(In this difficult world of the art, most artists, have to work in another area -sometimes related with the art, other no- to be able to compensate his economic reality. In my case, has been the education, in my Dominican Republic times, and the silk screen industry, in United States. NO HAVING A PERMANENT INCOME FROM A COMPANY JOB IS VERY RISKY BUT, SOMETIME IS IMPORTANT TAKE A CHANCE IN THE NAME OF THE ART. IT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT THAT AN ARTIST WORK FULL TIME AND OVER TIME IN HIS WORK OF ART. There is a great difference in the works of those artists who are able to work full time. Why? Because there is more time to investigate "the idea" in the "artistic concept", the "technical process", and to "observe" the new work).

The work "Hispanoamerica", is not a piece to exhibit in the outdoor shows. It is my "artistic quota" that I pay to my Hispanic inheritance. A work came from my conscience, in the same way I did "Dark 9-11" (another work of two canvas), two week after the tragedy of the twin towers in New York City.

"Hispanoamerica: Origen Comun, Manos no Encontradas"	From left: Renan Arevalo, Gary Bixhorn, District Superintendent and Felix Berroa pose in front of one of Felix's artwork: "Dark 9-11". Eastern Suffolk BOCES, Central Islip campus exhibition.

"Hispanic Amerca: Common Origin and no Finds Hands" don't end up being exhibited. Regrettably it happens that, some people, sometimes want to put their grain of sand in the construction the Hispanic community and they get into the job of organize events partially lack of of the knowledge of the world of the art and the protocol to work with the artists. I felt that they was not given respect to my works, to my person, to all the years of my studies, creations and exhibitions (published in my website), and they treated me as if I had begun to paint a couple years ago, or somebody desperate to "come out to the light", and to sell a painting.

Anyway I finished the work. Fulfilled "my quota", I returned to my creation routine. Lately, since I finishes the work " Spanish America ", I have been working 12 hours daily the seven days of the week, to be able to have a new group of works for the next exhibitions in Marietta, Roswell, Atlanta and Decatur. These are the resulting paintings:

The Paintings

They are 26 new large works and 18 kissers. If you live in Georgia see my works in some of the outdoor shows published in the home page of this site: www.felixberroa.com .

"Virgen de la Leche". Acrylic and oil on canvas. 40"x40". 2006.

Cara Pintada 3". 48"x46". Enamel and oil on masonite. 2006.	-Enamorados. 48"x46". Acrylic and oil on canvas. 2006.	Three Graces-2. 48"x46". Acrylic and oil on canvas. 2006.
Casa-1. 46"x48". Enamel on masonite. 2006.	Casa-2. 48"x46". Enamel on masonite. 2006.	"Interior con Nubes Amarillas" . 48"x46". Enamel on masonite. 2006.

 

"Venus Alada-1". 48"x24". Acrylic and oil on canvas. 2006. Sold	"Venus Alada-2". 48"x24". Acrylic and oil on canvas. 2006.

 

All works published here are copyright 1987-2006

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