February guest artist reception

The artist reception on Sunday of February 10, 2013 at the Paolo Mejia Art Gallery and Design Studio was filled with great interest and lively motion. The reception started at two pm and did not end until half past five, the regular closing hours for the gallery, and traffic was still coming in. This was awesome! A lot of people visited from out of the city. People came from the North Bay and East Bay to see Seren Moran’s art show. We were surprised to see the success of this function.

The art gallery would like to thank everyone who visited and participated in making this event a blast and a success. This visual art show would not have been a success without the interest and support of people like you to make events like this possible.

To Seren and her mother, we thank you and salute you. Without Seren’s artworks there would not have been any art show, and without her mom’s support the show may not have been unexpectedly active and dynamic. Thank you to both of them, their families and friends.

(A partial perspective of the function in the gallery.)

 

Featured art: Convolution -Tsunami (Flow) by Paolo C. Mejia

This art work is a 14 piece mixed media on wood panel (16 in actual). It depicts a dynamic flow of abstracted imagery jumbled up in a tsunami force-like impact. This piece also memorializes the event that took place recently in Japan.

The imagery were abstracted as layers of superimposed shapes are added by arbitrary and random selection. Individual panel pieces were first cut to size and then worked on as multiple layers were added. The work evolved as all 16 pieces start to collect layer by layer.

Composition was extremely important in denoting how it would look. In this picture, it was displayed in a long horizontal piece that connected individually. This piece can also be connected in a four row and column composition or a giant square, as it was originally made to be adjustable to different composition. But figuring out the right piece to go to certain position can be more complex than how it looks. Each piece connected somehow to complete another.

Cartographic-like drawing designs were lastly added to give more character and complexity to the dynamic flow of the piece. Below is the result of overlaying imagery using collage media.

 

February Emerging Guest Artist: Seren Moran

Seren Moran is a local Bay Area artist, who received her B.A. from San Diego State University and studied at the original Leonardo da Vinci school of art in Italy. Her colorful and vibrant work entitled “Brazil” is a culmination of her recent trip in Brazil.

I fear being predictable, in life and in my art. My life has always been unstable; I have lived in over 10 different homes, with different people, studied in more than 10 different schools, and worked a variety of places. I struggle to find comfort and balance through feeling alone and misunderstood. I envy stability, but I see the ignorance in staying stagnant. I have never been someone who works on a schedule or plan, and I don’t do that with my art. I use my impulsiveness as inspiration; my choices are made in the moment, often without a conscious thought. I make conscious decisions after I have made the unconscious ones. Like Dancing, I let my body do the work, moving without thinking.

My curiosity drives my impulsiveness. A need to face the unknown rather than hide from it. I question what people perceive to be normal, or right, or wrong. And I question my work. I have always had a need to push boundaries, to break rules, and I have managed to channel that energy in my art. I am constantly trying new things, pushing past what is expected.

I see painting as being alive, it moves, in shapes and textures and has depth. It can have energy or be calm, can be stubborn or unsure, or be everything at once. And I view my paintings as accurate depictions, of the images they are inspired from. I take away or add information to give emotion, and honesty to the places and people I paint.

(Below are some samples from the show.)

Luzes da Noite, Acrylic on Canvas, 18″ x 24″


Esquina Colorida, Acrylic on Canvas, 40″ x 48″


Quatro Becos, Acrylic on Canvas, 18″ x 24″