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No. 22. Voice From the Studio. The Newsletter of The Art of Felix Berroa. Marietta -Atlanta-, Georgia, Octuber, 2007

 

FIESTA

Drawings with Oil on Canvas

- From "Five Leyends to Put a Child to Sleep."-

To be exhibit 23 new larges works in the government building of the Culture Secretary of State in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic (Nov. 7, 2007). Also, in two museums and a select group of outdoor shows around Atlanta, Georgia, and other near states in 2008.

By Felix Berroa

-Part Two-

In the photo, Felix Berroa drawing a Colombian folkloric musicians (Gaiteros Colombianos - Colombian piper): "Encuentro de Dos razas" (Encounter of Two Races)

Special Introduction for Organizers of Outdoor Shows and Related

The arts and crafts outdoor festivals arose decades behind as an answer to the country economic reception of that time. As all new born event tipe, in time they were improving. Nowadays, although they arose from an economic crisis, some of these festivals are true events celebration of the artistic-social life of a community or city. When I think in “arts festivals”, I think immediately in the interaction that exists among “art, community or city.” However, for many, it is simply means a way of marketing, of obtaining money without caring about the cultural contribution that is made to the society. Many people do no had the thought of the “visual and intellectual impact” that an exhibition can do to the spectators, but of the “commercial impact” that can achieve.

When I began to exhibit in the outdoor festivals of New York and Connecticut in 1997, I acted as if it was a show in a gallery or museum (before that I had exhibited only in galleries and museums as the Nassaw County Museum of Art).

Each year I created a different topic. I built 12 high wood and playwood panels that when I set-up all together with the canopy look as white walls's gallery. No only I created large paintings that almost covered an entire wall of 10x8 feets, but also asamblages. The problem I had in those shows was that those serious works was not enough appreciated by some of the these shows-organizers that mostly were chamber of commerce, park administration, city offices, and private. Some of them gave me the less appropriate spaces for the type, format and quality of my works, although in many cases I was the artist more strong in the whole show.

However, I should recognize that in those shows of New York and Connecticut, some festival promoters specialized in the art matters gave me a lot of respect and support, as the festivals of Friends of The North Castle Public Library, Inc. -NY, Gallery North in Setauket -NY, Montauk Artists Association in Montauk -NY, Huntington Arts Council in Huntington - NY, Bruce Museum in Greenwich -CT, Washington Square Outdoor Exhibit in Manhathan -NYC, and others.

Here in Georgia, several shows organizers have been very well with me, especially: Inman Park (Atlanta), Decatur Art Festival, Oakhurst Arts & Music Festival (Decatur), Gumtree Museum Festival (Tupelo, Mississippi), and the previous chair of Virginia Highland Festival (Atlanta) Susan Bridges.

Other festivals promoted by non-arts institutions, but that I respect for their organization and attentions to the artists, are Grand Park Conservation (Atlanta), City of Apharetta, the Colors Festival of the Arts (by Roswell Jr. Woman's Club), among others.

 

If I had to give to Blue Ribbon to a Georgia festival as the one had the most high standard balance between arts, crafts and community, will be to the Decatur Art Festival. I believe that a festival should be designed to promote and to protect the artists, artisans and the people of the community that they represent, in addition to bring a balanced number of "invited artists" from other distant places, so that the community can see, appreciate and confront the stablished art with other techniques, styles and creative intellect in different thematic.

Decatur Art Festial, an event organized by the Decatur Arts Alliance, no only has a balance among the exhibitors of its community, of the state of Georgia, and from other parts of the country, but rather has a complete program designed to satisfy the cultural necessities of the community that represents:

The Fine Arts and Crafts Festival, the indoor Fine Arts Exhibition, the ArtWalk project (walking group with a guide around the most important art galleries of Decatur city), literary arts events, dance and music performers activities.

Also the “Doors of Decatur”, a project in where the local artists use recycled doors given by the Decatur Arts Alliance to be transformed into works of art and to be exhibited in the festival (Those doors are auctioned to benefit of Decatur Arts Alliance). Arts activities for children could not missing. But Decatur Arts Alliance doesn't bring larges play machines or hugest inflated objects of plastic as many outdoor shows do. Decatur Art Alliance installs a great canopy for children with activities as: histories tellers, painting activities, etc. DECATUR ARTS FESTIVAL IS AN EVENT THAT THINKS, IN ADDITION OF OBTAIN ECONOMIC FUNDS FOR THE INSTITUTION, ALSO IN THE BEST CULTURAL DELIVERY FOR ITS COMMUNITY. THAT COMMUNITY INCLUDES, ARTISTS, ARTISANS, RESIDENTS AND NEIGHBORS FROM OTHER NEAR CITIES, IN ADDITION OF THE "INVITED ARTISTS" FROM OTHER STATES.

FIESTA

Drawings with Oil on Canvas

“The drawing is the foundation of all fine arts. A great artist is recognized through the improvement of his/her drawing, which is appreciated by the cleanliness, precision and confidence in the course of his/her lines. The opposite, will be “pretend”. Félix Berroa, 2007.

My most recent works are a collection of drawings with oil on canvas in large sizes between 40"x40" to 46"x60". Will be exhibit soon. They will be exhibited soon in the gallery of the elegant government building of the Culture Secretary of State, located across front of the sea, in the city of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

From that building is govern all institutions in the country relate with cultural focus (visual art, music, literature, dance, theater, folklore, movies film, historic places or buildings, etc. -as the Museum of Modern Art-, are all branchs of this one). The actual Culture Secretary of State is Lic. Jose Rafael Lantigua.

The exhibition have 23 works on the topic of music and dancing. The title is "Fiesta of America". Some of the musical genres in the drawings are blue-grass, cajun, zideco, bachata, merengue, Dominican drummers, Cuban musisian group, tango, Venezuelan drummers, Puerto Rican quitar, dancers, etc.

When I return, you will receive the third part of this topic newsletter with the news of this exhibition (pictures of the opening and press publications). During my 2008 festivals schedulle, this topic will be the one I will be exhibiting. In that year I will also participate in solo exhibitions in two museums that I will let you know ahead, one in Georgia and another in one of the neighboring states, probably Alabama.

As much in the exhibitions in galleries or museums as in the outdoor festivals , will be in the background music of the different countries of America from who I have painted their musicians. Some 300 songs and instrumentals (in set of three) will be burned in a CD (MP3) to be play very softly, so that it doesn't bother to the neighboring exhibitors (in the case of festival). The idea of the music it is so that the expectador can know what can be happening in the images of musicians.

"Antolin Reyna". 40"x40". (My Father) Dominican Republic.	"Cajun". 48.75”x41.5x1.5”. Luisiana, USA	"Atabales". 44"x48". Dominican Republic.	"Compañero de la Montaña" (Partner of the Mountains). 40"x42". Puerto Rico.

 

"Adios Nonino del Bandoneon" ( Tango). 40"x44". Argentina.	"Tambores de San Juan". 60"x44". Venezuela.	"Ventana Nostalgica". 40"x46".

“Fiesta” (Party) put together certain images I absorbed during significant moments of my life. This series was created with musicians and dancers, classic and popular. The first work materialized in the mountains of Comerio, Puerto Rico, timidly in 1979 with the beauty of the Puerto Rican guitar called the “cuatro,” and has extended throughout the years with multiple versions of dancers: Ballet, Salsa, Tango, Merengue, Bachata, Flamenco; musicians: Puerto Rican “cuatro”, Spanish guitar, cello, violin, flutes, kena, tambours, drums, piano; and musical styles such as Cuban Son, Bachata, Merengue, Atabales, Bluegrass, Jazz, American Indian Pow-Wow, etc.

After my trip to Puerto Rico in 1979, I began an aggressive search that not only reaffirmed my style but also opened the doors to abstraction that in many cases since that time has appeared as a foundation of my work. After the emergence of my winged women series (second half of the 80's) in a thematic of strong social content (Culture Shock), my abstraction grew strongest in opposition of my characters and became independent in some large format works that I exhibited and sold in the well-known website of New York, www.paintingsdirect.com (See two photos in the web page that Fernando Ureña Rib dedicated to me: http://www.latinartmuseum.com/berroa.htm.)

The success in sales through Paintings Direct motivated me to buy a computer for the first-time and to take a Computer Graphic Design course. These two events allowed me to experience the art world in an extraordinary way. I began an extensive image library organized by genre (figurative, abstract-expressionism, realism, etc.) or theme (nudes, landscape, dance, music, etc.) in order to continue my comparative studies that had begun in the 1970’s.

My conclusion after the study of my extensive image library from around the world was the reaffirmation of my style and characters that was born in 1978 and, this realization: a great part of today’s current art, instead of representing a testimony in the aesthetic territory, is transformed into a decorative element. Many works are empty of concepts that would have come from the artist’s personal journey (history, society, culture, etc.) They leave no record for future generations to understand the life they lived.

Also, many artists constantly repeat or copy the style of others, especially in abstractions that are today’s decorative fashion for decorators, corporations and urban interiors in order to please the client: “the work doesn't should say too much; only the technique is important.” In other words, “it should not stand out too much from the rest of the decoration or challenge the customers that attend the facilities of the institution or business.”

But, if my main “statement” says:

"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 love
in the smaile of a child
or in the softeness of an old man.
In short, the life, the dreams
and death of all human beings"
Felix berroa, 1881.

"To understand an artist it is not enough with being able to appreciate his art technique. To conform to that will be walk half way through a path with forms without any concern of what there may be said. That will be to conform alone with the very organized "matter" on a canva, paper, wood, etc. Any GOOD DECORATOR with a basic drawing, painting training and some imagination can do that. To understand an artist you need also, in addition to the technique, to face his statement in his works, to classify it and to evaluate it. For this is necessary to READ HIM (the artist), through his distance traveled in his lived enviroment and the way he had incorporated those experiences with his feelings in the Art."

…then the theory that “the work should not say a lot” doesn't go with me. Continuing solely in abstraction could be a way to annihilate the essence of the main factor of my art: the communication of personal experiences and feelings. Of course, abstraction also communicates feelings, but, simple, secondary, distant feelings. I continue with abstraction, but, as I usually did: as a complement to my characters -- the background.

As I have already said on several occasions, I believe that the artist should face his/her financial reality, leave aside his/her pride, and find the way of selling what he/she creates in order to adjust to the actual social-reality. This should be done with dignity and respect to the art and to the collector of his/her creation.

To Be Continue in "Third Part" in December/2007-January/2008

Check the home page of my wetsite for the last 2007 show in the Atlanta area:

http://www.felixberroa.com/

Previous Newsletters:

Newsletter No. 21: "Fiesta -The New Drawings"- First Part:

http://www.felixberroa.com/IMAGENES-newsletter/newsletter-2007/newsletter-2007-6-E-coll.htm

Previous Newsletter No 20:

FAUSTINO PÉREZ INTERVIEWS FERNANDO UREÑA RIB

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MY STATEMENTS:

"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 love
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.

 

"To understand an artist it is not enough with being able to appreciate his art technique. To conform to that will be walk half way through a path with forms without any concern of what there may be said. That will be to conform alone with the very organized "matter" on a canva, paper, wood, etc. Any GOOD DECORATOR with a basic drawing, painting training and some imagination can do that. To understand an artist you need also, in addition to the technique, to face his statement in his works, to classify it and to evaluate it. For this is necessary to READ HIM (the artist), through his distance traveled in his lived enviroment and the way he had incorporated those experiences with his feelings in the Art."

Felix Berroa, 1995, Long Island, New York.

 

For those who not yet have read my biography, I'm a mid 50's years old artist.

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All works published here are copyright 1987-2007

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Felix Berroa

Felbere@hotmail.com

Tel. 678-355-1473.

This email is not individually mailed, but thru a systematic massive selection in my computer. If you wish not to receive this Newsletter, Reply this email allowing me to know it. --- Este email no es enviado individualmene, sino mediante un sistema de seleccion masiva en mi computadora. Si usted desea no recibir este Newsletter, devuelva este correo dejandomelo saber.