"Tres" Pinturas

"Chupacabra with droplets" by Carlos G. Gomez

"The Grand Carnival" by Antonio Antinori

Artist Statement
My art work is direct and uncomplicated. I do not spend much time thinking about interpretations, hidden meanings; like subliminal messages or high flow artistic philosophies. I paint ideas, emotions, feelings and try to present it in a generic or global context mind with craftsmanship and drama in an interesting and perhaps unusual ways.
Before painting, I draw a sketch very carefully of my artwork; planning the colors, values, and sequencing of the entire composition. No matter how complex my subject is the goal, accidents are rarely welcome, and mistakes are often irreparable. My paintings take various lengths of time to complete, but I can generally produce two per month. The completion time is a function of the works complexity. Most of my artwork contains a bit of the dramatic, which heightens the impact of the composition. As a painter I supply the mood and the viewer is invited to provide the subtext.
Finally, I believe what ultimately makes a successful painting is the painter’s ability to import his/her ideas, emotions and feelings into the artwork and to convey something to the viewer.

"Sugar Coated Companies Rot Your Teeth" by Gabriel Trevino

GABRIEL TREVINO

ARTIST STATEMENT

“In simple my paintings can be described as a reflection of my mind an interpretation of what and how I see and think things-sometimes metaphysical, whether it is nude holding up the sun or the moon, a shadow that resembles a hand, a face of someone I know, a red bird with no eyes, a feeling when I think of death, a thought about faith, an idea that nothing exists and or a dream I was a gorilla.”
It’s hard to describe all my techniques, sometimes when I paint I just seem to know what I am doing, I don’t question my actions. If I do something I am not comfortable with I feel I can always correct it or make it work for the painting. I like to work fast, so I can keep up with my thoughts, perhaps is why I like to work with acrylic the most, it dries faster and there is no waiting period. I like to consider some of my work to be freehand in a sense I am not painting from a graphed picture, but use my body instead on the larger works to estimate dimensions. As for the use of color in my work, after ten years of painting blending color is just a natural act, I have no use for the color wheel.
I think my painting technique and style will continue to evolve, perhaps until the day of my death. Only tomorrow will tell what my next painting will look like, for me that’s what makes my work interesting, my life long commitment.

Mauricio Saenz : Reviews "Tres" Pintores
Congratulations on the exhibit "Tres Pintores" and to any of the artists in the valley who spend their time wisely putting up exhibitions that showcase their ideas visually along with the passion they have for art in a serious way, whether you like their work or not. However, I would have liked seeing more new work from all of them and probably would have left more space in between the work to let it breathe and give it a bigger frame to allow the viewer to focus on each piece individually. Having the space filled with a lot of work doesn't necessarily mean that the show is going to be better. Moving to the actual pieces, I prefer Gomez' works that are not saturated with color and that isolate the figures, call it chupacabras, horses, monkeys, etc. against a less distracting background allowing me to read its statement in a more fluid way. People might like him or not but what's a fact is that he has had a well-defined style that allows you to recognize his work without knowing that it's his, and that's what sets artists apart from those who try but never see the light at the end of the tunnel. He has been perseverant, hard-working, thoughtful about the things he does and says, and on top of all true to his ideals and his style. He has also mentored and supported people who are now artists and that have seen him as a role model, Jesus de la Rosa, Gabriel Palomino, Alma Rocha, Gabriel Treviño, Patty Barrera, Helen Craules, and myself, to name a few. Most of these have pursued master degrees and are emerging artists in the process of getting their work out there and have that exposure an artist strives for. However, he has not received the acknowledgement he deserves in his hometown. A well-curated retrospective at the BMFA is something that should have been done a long time ago, even before Cande's, Lorio's, Leftler's, even Ray Smith's (does he really care about valley?). This is not to diminish the artists mentioned before in any way, but to give the importance to people who have contributed immensely to the development of art in the community and the artists who are emerging. Honor a quien honor merece, nada más. I personally like Gabriel Treviño's work for being honest, visceral, and straight-forward, and especially the ones where I see Basquiat's influence in. I don't know if he knows this, but the potential he has is as big as his desire, willingness, and effort he shows in doing all the things he does for art to be something more than just a topic to talk about. I would only like to see a more consistent style and subject matter, something that would define him as an artist. The idea of having this as an on-going project to grow in the future as a "4", "5", and so on is great, yet it would need to be developed into a more contemporary, better-planned exhibition demonstrating that Brownsville artists are prepared to come up with an exhibit as a whole (not only talking about the work itself, but a clever set up, a well-designed promotion, a better space) up to the level of what is been shown in contemporary spaces in cities such as Corpus Christi, Austin, or San Antonio. But again, artists should be supported by organizations or private sponsors that would be willing to do the administrative part and let the artists focus on their work. Again, congratulations to Gómez, Treviño, and Antinori for your commitment and desire to let your ideas be known through a means no other will be capable to surpass in a more succesful and revealing way than art.