I went to The New World School of the Art's gallery, ArtSceen, in Wynwood to find the work from Juan Travieso to be absolutely stunning. He has all the elements of good and marketable design that I look for: vibrant color, pattern and the understanding of the power of white space which he uses to create a look all his own.
Usually I have to seek out the artist when I go to an event or during an opening. Lucklly, Juan saw me looking at his work and taking notes and he introduced himself to me! I love meeting artists and talking to them about their work because whenever I purchase art, the art is as important to me as the artist. I have to like the artist, their vision and their work equally in order to have their work in my home or to recommend them to someone else.
When I was talking to Juan, I thought just the gouache paintings were his. Then he started talking about his sculptures... Wow! I was so delighted to discover that this hugh sculpture featured below was his work as well.
This sculpture is made with cardboard, some of which are upcycled. There are 21 pieces that fit together (like a puzzle) that are attached to the wall. Juan told me that his inspiration for this piece came from his life as a boy. In Cuba, he had very little and he longed for toys that he saw on television, but could not have.
After meeting Juan, I got an email letter from him because he went to my website to check out my art. He told me he was inspired by my upcycled work and he plans to use even more upcyled materials in his future works! Here is a few excerpts from his letter "...basically what I plan on doing is start to paint on recycled and biodegradable materials so that there is no harm done on the environment. In addition the subject matter of my upcoming pieces will consist of environmental issues that will affect society in the near future. ...I have already started gathering wood from construction sites that will be thrown away and with it I will build the frames for my pieces."
I'm not sure where his next exhibit will be, but I do know that he his working on doing 20 outdoor sculptures to be installed in Japan. So, if you are like me and can't wait to see what Juan creates next... just follow his blog.
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