"Umami" is the relatively unknown 5th taste category in the human mouth. It is described as the "savory" or "fresh" taste buds! http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/senses/umami.html I was intrigued by the simple fact that it is relatively unknown and also savory and fresh, I felt that it fit like a glove to describe three of my favorite rising art stars.
Danielle "Knee" Estefan
Miami-based Danielle Estefan (b. 1984) uses an illustrative style to create cute and humorous work. Despite the fact that her characters often appear sad or cynical, hinting at a darker undercurrent beneath innocent facades, Estefan's paintings are playful and lighthearted. A former student of the Design and Architecture program at the New World School of the Arts, Estefan works primarily in acrylics, and uses a variety of surfaces, such as particle wood or construction paper, to create a smooth, matte finish. She will often integrate the surfaces into the work as a background, or use the texture as skin tone for her figures. "I like to use a lot of brown, earthy, surfaces to compliment the colors in my paintings, which tend to have a lot of pink and turquoise in them," said Estefan. When she's not painting, the artist fills up sketchbooks that are sometimes used as references for future works.
The goal (and achievement) of Estefan's paintings are to reflect a mood. The work is primarily made for the purpose of sheer enjoyment -- both for the artist and the viewer. She has fun with the finished product as well as the process, and this carries through in each piece.
Tatiana Suarez
Tatiana Suarez (b. 1983) is a Brooklyn-based Miami native. This emerging artist is an alumni of the University of Miami's Graphic Design program, and also works as a freelance illustrator. Her charming style is distinctive -- first, the trademark eyes that draw the viewer into a beautiful and surreal world. Suarez takes full advantage of the oil paint's ability to create creamy, soft images on canvas. Rich with symbols that stem from her Brazilian and El Salvadorian heritage, subjects appear as if they are under water, frozen in lovely stillness. The doe-eyed figures look childlike, but also exude sexual overtones, ornamented with plants, insects and other unsettling accompaniments. Beauty is presented concurrently with exotic -- even creepy -- creatures to create enchanted narratives.Suarez recently participated in the Primary Flight street art exhibition which took place during Art Basel Miami, December 2 - 6, 2009. The artist's finished product is a mural that remains intact in Miami's Wynwood Arts District. In addition, Suarez regularly exhibits work in galleries across the United States, including Bear & Bird Gallery, Lauderhill, Florida.
Venezuelan-born Natali Martinez's (b.1983) work is the perfect blend of the adorable and the surreal. Each piece is a dreamlike vignette, an odd and humorous combination of subjects, such as a dancing chinchilla or a girl holding a very tiny dog in the palm of her hand. Martinez's use of movement and cartoony figures result in lively little paintings, which are absurdly cute and sometimes perplexing.
Martinez, a graduate of the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale school of Animation, works as a commercial illustrator and currently resides in Brooklyn, NY.
This three-person show at Bear and Bird Gallery will feature new, original paintings by Danielle Estefan, Tatiana Suarez and Natali Martinez. Prices are still within the range of new art collectors, while the quality of the work and charm of the artist behind them point towards a bright future for these three. These are the type of artists you will look back on in the years to come and wish you had bought when it was in your price range!
Artwork will be available at the opening on 1/16 from 7-10 and online in our webstore immediately after the opening.
