Scary Dog, 2003
watercolor and acrylic on paper
40 1/2 x 26 inches
Louis Stern Fine Arts is pleased to present The Trouble with Pets: Recent Work by Benito Martinez-Creel. The exhibition opens with a reception for the artist on September 13 from 6 to 9 PM and continues through October 25, 2003.
The Trouble with Pets: Recent Work by Benito Martinez-Creel
Working with a palette of pure willful color and a self-made sculptural medium of Styrofoam, resin, acrylic resins and dirt from all over the world, Benito Martinez-Creel has created a series of vivid and whimsical animal portraits. Dogs are indeed scary if they feature a wild-eyed stare and skin the color of boiled lobsters. Rumble fish can indeed crash and be rescued by the wave shaped arms of sculptural orange-hued humans. The seemingly inexplicable combinations of spatial logic, texture and tone in all Martinez-Creel’s creations evoke a world of unaffected and compelling emotional realities.
Born in Spain and raised in Mexico, Martinez-Creel settled in Los Angeles after completing his study with Otis Parsons School of Art and Design. The artist cites the aesthetics and monumental work of the Aztecs and other pre-Columbian cultures as an inspiration. “If you look at the original ceramics or drawings from anywhere in the world, you find similar solutions and tastes. In my work, I try to be stark and look for my first memories, forms that are simple and the most elemental.”
This exhibition marks the artist’s first solo show with Louis Stern Fine Arts.