ERIK GONZALES
Through painting I create tactile expressions of my mind and soul that have a solid permanence much like the stelae of ancient cultures. The paintings become more tableau-like than simply paint on canvas with the use of unconventional materials that give weight to the works. By exploring new materials a process of experimentation follows that often takes center stage within my paintings. Images and symbols mix and coalesce with colors and textures to show the paintings’ history. Layer upon layer is built up and at times removed to expose what once lay beneath. Much of the source imagery and inspiration for my work comes from traveling abroad and discovering new ways to reinterpret old myths. Organic structures and orderly grids become a new lexicon for telling these stories and ideas. It is upon textured grounds and by means of unorthodox materials that my work evolves into a collection of individual expressions where the physical act of creating becomes as important as what is being represented. This catharsis can be witnessed on the heavier grounds of red clay and powdered marble where reflections of weathered desert floors and old, time worn walls display a collective history painted and etched upon their surfaces.
El Mar Antiguo 60x60 Mixed media on canvas/panel | Tormenta 24x24 Mixed media on panel | Erythrina 48x60 Mixed media on panel |
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Some Girls Wander 70x51 Acrylic on vinyl | BulerÃas 44" x 48" Mixed media on canvas/panel | Cuenca 60"x60" 2019 |
Untitled 15x11 paper | Untitled 15x11 paper | Caytonia 48x42 Mixed media on panel |
Flutes l 50"x46" |