Seeing Red

For Mikey I, 2007, watercolor on paper, 7.5 x 8.5 inches

It has been a color constantly making its presence known throughout my work and life. Red is everywhere and to many different people it may take on a different meaning; perhaps love, passion, emotion, or even something as generic as a Coca Cola sign.

For Mikey II, 2007, watercolor on paper, 9 x 7 3/8 inches

In my work Red pops up when painting tomatoes. It is obvious that tomatoes are of a certain color and as a representational artist I will recreate them in their true form, but the intent is not to represent a tomato per se, but to bring about the color Red. In life Red has always had some sort of impact on my subconscious. It manifests itself as a patriotic symbol for my country of birth, Peru. In art it hypnotized me as the color Vermilion and how Caravaggio would use such pigment in dramatic scenes and make it a focal point of his color scheme.

For Mikey III, 2007, watercolor on paper, 9 x 7 3/8 inches

Now Red has taken on a new, more powerful meaning. It represents the existence of a person, it stands for the life and intensity of a special man who always seemed to be surrounded by the color Red. There is no separating the two because when he comes to mind I see is a sea of Red.