Coming Soon: Things That Make You Go Hmmm

           

Things That Make You Go Hmmm at UTSA Satellite Space

WHAT:                 Things That Make You Go Hmmm

WHEN:                 July 5 - July 21, 2013 | Gallery Hours:
Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Noon – 6pm or by appointment

Opening Reception on Friday, July 5, 2013| 6-9pm

WHERE:               UTSA Satellite Space | 115 Blue Star | San Antonio, TX 78204

                                (Located in the Blue Star Arts Complex at S. Alamo and Probandt St., 210.212.7146)

COST:                    Free

MORE INFO:       Web: http://art.utsa.edu  | Gallery Coordinator: Clay McClure

San Antonio - The UTSA Satellite Space will host Things That Make You Go Hmm, on view July 5 - July 21, 2013, with an opening reception on July 5, 2013 from 6-9pm.

Things That Make You Go Hmmm is a group exhibition organized by Raul Gonzalez.  Four artists, Roberto Celis, Raul Gonzalez, Lee Peterson and Nico Whittaker ask you to question their interpretations of identity, culture, work, communication and social expectations.  The artists examine these issues through reflections of themselves and others in the form of paintings, sculpture and drawings.  The exhibition will include a Gift Shop of art and art-like objects.

About the Artists:

Roberto Celis (Allendale, Virginia) received his BFA from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2010 and is currently pursuing his MFA at UTSA.  Celis's  work brings attention to how individuals work and communicate with each other. Roberto Celis's works becomes blueprints of opportunities gained and lost in modern society.

"By fully being connected with our surrounding, we have the key for growth which is needed to fully succeed in our world.  As an artist I am offering you these opportunities and asking you to pick up on the subtle ways to do it every day."  

Raul Gonzalez (Houston, TX) received his BFA from the University of Houston in 2010 and is currently pursuing his MFA at UTSA. Gonzalez's  work has been shown throughout Texas, Los Angels, CA, Lake Charles, LA and Michigan A selection of Gonzalez's works have been acquired by Dr. Ricardo Romo for  the UTSA Permanent Collection.  Raul Gonzalez is a 2013 Hunting Art Prize Finalist and is currently showing work at Mexic-Arte Museum in Austin, TX. Raul's work is influenced by Pop Art, Chicano Art and today's social structures and values.

" My work allows me to question definitions of identities (most often self), painting, fine art, as well as sociological ideologies defined within today's ever-morphing culture." 

Lee Peterson (Brownsville, TX) received his BFA from the University of Texas in Arlington in 2009 and his MFA from UTSA in 2013. His work has been shown  throughout Texas, including shows in San Antonio, Arlington, Denton and Keller, TX. Peterson's work pokes fun at how assumptions can lead to misleading interpretations and how one defines themselves.

"I am far more concerned with the familiarity that is uncertain and uncomfortable"

Nico Whittaker (Buenos Aires,  Argentina) has spent time studying at “Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artes” in Buenos Aires as well as other universities in Argentina. He currently works as a graphic designer and printer in Houston, TX.  Nico Whittaker's work is an embodiment of the struggles and awards of being an artist, being an immigrant and raising a family in the midst of the pursuing an art career.

"I guess that all I try to do in my art is in some way show who I am, who I used to be, what happened to me and what the future could look like through my eyes. Past, present, future. What I am afraid of, what do I love, how I see the world and everything in it, what things affect me more, my suffering and my happiness as well."

About the UTSA Satellite Space:

Located in the Blue Star Arts Complex, the UTSA Satellite Space is the off-campus gallery of the Department of Art and Art History at the University of Texas at San Antonio. Monthly exhibitions feature works by UTSA graduate students, as well as nationally recognized professional artists. Since its first exhibition in 1993, the UTSA Satellite Space has become one of San Antonio’s most respected venues for challenging contemporary art.

June News.

June Newsletter What's coming up and what's good. Thank you for keeping up to date with my art and all it's possibilities. Some great things are on the horizon. In June, I'll be participating in my first ever museum show at Mexic-Arte Museum in Austin, TX!! This is an amazing opportunity and I'm very excited to show almost all new work at the venue. I was asked to show 4 works of art and then to do a collaboration with artist Daniel Adame from Houston, TX. That collaboration turned into my largest sculpture installation to date. And, I have been organizing an art show scheduled to open early July in San Antonio. This will be my first official self-organized art show since moving to SA in August of last year. The show will include artists from Houston and San Antonio. If you're ever in the area, I'd be happy to open up my doors for a private studio visit. I have plenty of new work that has not made it's way to the public. Thanks!

Young Latino Artists 18: Con/Juntos Mexic-Arte Museum | Austin, TX 419 Congress Ave. (5th and Congress) Guest Curator: Michael Anthony Garcia June 7 - September 8, 2013 Opening Reception: June 7 from 6:00-9:00pm 6-00pm-7:00pm Members Preview 7:00pm-9:00pm General Admission Reception Admission: $10/Free for Members Special Performance by YLA 18 artist Daniel Adame  at 8 pm For More Information, Click HERE. RSVP on Facebook Image: We Will Become Silhouettes in a Ring of Fire - detail acrylic and marker on canvas, found objects, cardboard, duct tape | 2013 Things That Make You Go Hmmm UTSA Satellite Space | San Antonio, TX 115 Blue Star | Blue Star Arts Complex July 5 - July 21, 2013 Opening Reception: July 5 from 6:00-9:00pm Gallery Hours: Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Noon – 6pm or by appointment For More Information, Click HERE. RSVP on Facebook Image: Egyptian Lover - cardboard and duct tape, 2013

Recently I was featured on UTSA TODAY!! I was interviewed about my recent art ventures.  Click on the link below to read the article. Meet a Roadrunner: UTSA M.F.A. student Raul Gonzalez says art starts conversation.

Recent werk: Transcendence

I recently completed this for a friend and collector. Since it won't be shown in any public exhibitions, I wanted to share it online. Thanks.

Transcendence
acrylic, latex, marker and various fabrics on canvas
36" x 60", 2013

Young Latino Artists 18: Con/Juntos | Mexic-Arte Museum

Preview of new work:
"We Will Become Silhouettes in a Ring of Fire" - detail
acrylic and marker on canvas, found objects, cardboard, duct tape

Young Latino Artists 18: Con/Juntos
Mexic-Arte Museum | 419 Congress Avenue | Austin, TX
Guest Curator: Michael Anthony Garcia

Serie Project XX

June 7- September 8, 2013

Opening Reception:
June 7 from 6pm-9pm
6:00-7:00pm  Members Preview
7:00-9:00pm General Public

Reception Admission:
$10/Free for Members
Special Performance:
Young Latino Artist: Daniel Adame 8:00- 8:10pm

Young Latino Artists 18: Con/Juntos
The Young Latino Artists (YLA) exhibition has historically provided Latino artists under the age of thirty-five with professional-level museum experience and exposure. In 1996, the inception of the Young Latino Artists Exhibition resulted in one of the most highly anticipated annual traditions for the Mexic-Arte Museum. Now in its eighteenth year, the current YLA exhibition Con/Juntos will be guest curated by visual artist Michael Anthony Garcia; the title, which means “With/Together,” reinforces the importance of the joining of ideas and of individuals with a common cause, while also referencing the idea of conjuntos, a group of musicians collaborating and unifying their talents to create beautiful music for the public to share.

Selected artists include: Raul Gonzalez, Daniel Adame, Sergio Garcia, Ricardo Paniagua, Robert Jackson Harrington, Isabella Bur, April Garcia, Nelda Ramos, Javier Vanegas, Colectivo Sector Reforma (Javier Cárdenas Tavizon, Santino Escatel, and Alejandro Fournier), and Tejidos Urbanos

Michael Anthony Garcia creates groupings of artists throughout Texas as well as from Mexico, Colombia and Argentina, with a wide range of experience, styles, personalities and practices. The groups were introduced to each other’s work and given time to collaborate either in person or by means of email, telephone or Skype™ to develop their ideas and finally create a brand new work to debut in the Museum. The exhibition also features artworks by the individual artists themselves to give insight into their practices and their particular contributions to the collaborative work. The diverse works presented in Con/Juntos represent a wide range of media from photography, installation, video, and performance, to collage, sculpture, yarn bombing and painting.

Serie Project XX: In 1993, Sam Coronado founded the Serie Project, a non-profit Latino arts organization dedicated to the fine art of serigraphy. Since its inception, the Serie Project’s annual AIR (Artist in Residence) program invites artists to learn the serigraph printmaking technique and create a limited edition of prints, under the guidance of a Master Printer. This year’s selected artists are Farley Bookout, Margarita Cabrera, Paul del Bosque (not on display), Sandra C. Fernandez (not on display), Nahum Flores, Rigoberto A. Gonzalez, Salvador Lopez, Oscar Magallanes (not on display), Michael Marshall, Stephanie Mercado, Brian Phillips, Patricia Tinajero, Ernesto Yerena Montejano (not on display), and George Yepes

I was recently asked to be The University of Texas at San Antonio's "Meet a Roadrunner".

I've cut and copied the article, written by Christi Fish (Associate Director of Media Relations).

Here's a link to the page. UTSA TODAY

Meet a Roadrunner: UTSA M.F.A. student Raul Gonzalez says art starts conversation

Houston Astros owner Jim Crane (left) and UTSA student Raul Gonzalez

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By Christi Fish
Associate Director of Media Relations

(May 22, 2013) -- Meet Raul Gonzalez. He's been drawing since he was seven.

First, he used a BIC ballpoint pen -- any old pen he could find -- to reproduce drawings he saw in comic books, in cartoons and on t-shirts. Then, he began to develop his skill through practice, first using acrylic on canvas, then blending painting and drawing. More recently, Raul has dabbled in sculpture, printmaking and performance art. He's currently working on art made from cardboard, duct tape and construction barrels.

"Art lets you create things that start conversations with people," he says. "My art includes hints of folly. It also shows that every experience a person has contributes to making that person wiser and stronger."

Those conversation starters are now reaching the ears of Texas art collectors.

About a month ago, a woman at the 2013 Hunting Art Prize exhibition engaged Raul in conversation about one of his pieces. The prestigious competition received 1,600 submissions. Raul was named one of its 107 finalists for the ballpoint drawing he entered.

When the woman and her husband decided to purchase Raul's drawing, he thought the couple looked familiar. Only after the gentleman handed Raul his business card did the UTSA student realize he'd sold his artwork to Jim Crane, owner of the Houston Astros. It was a dream come true for Raul, a Houstonian and an avid baseball fan.

Raul's artwork also has made its way into the UTSA Art Collection. Last year, President Ricardo Romo was contacted by a friend in Los Angeles about purchasing some new prints. Several art pieces stood out including Raul's work.

"Somehow, I had missed Raul's local shows and now I was buying his art out of a gallery in East Los Angeles," Romo recalls.

Notably, he recalls Raul's piece, "Tampico," which features a local restaurant the university president is sure he's driven by many times. He also has purchased many drawings by Raul featuring Prismacolor markers and ink on paper.

"Raul excels as a draftsman. In his work, you will see a superb selection of color and contrast for both landscapes and structures," said Romo. "He is young, but he is already developing a unique style of expression. I am happy to have found him."

May News!!

Big News!!  On May 3rd, 2013, UTSA President Dr. Ricardo Romoapproved the acquisition of my painting "I Love The Smell of Diesel Fuel in the Morning".  Since I've begun graduate school in August 2012, the President has added 20 pieces of my artwork to the UTSA's Permanent Collection. 18 drawings, 1 serigraph and 1 painting. I am very grateful and thankful to have my work included in such a great collection.  On Saturday May 4th, I was in Houston for the Hunting Art Prize Finalist Gala. While I didn't go home with the $50,000 Award that went to just one artist; I was able to meet Franci and Jim Crane, (Owner of the Houston Astros). They decided to add my large drawing on canvas, "The Big Tree", to their personal collection. They didn't take it home the night of the Gala so the next day I had to meet Jim at Minute Maid Park's Union Station. Jim Crane surprised us with a tour of the Executive Offices, the Diamond Club and seats 2 rows behind home plate! We even got to talk some baseball. He gave me the inside scoop on the Astros road to redemption. We left Houston and headed back to San Antonio with 2 free Astros caps, a baseball signed by Jim Crane and memories of an amazing experience. It's difficult catching an Astros game while in San Antonio. Couldn't have asked for a better time. Being an artist is pretty great. Any parties interested in any current work for sale, please contact me at rrgbuzz@gmail.com. Thank You.

Street Scene 3 - ballpoint pen and marker on reflector tape, 2012 What's coming up this month? May 11-12   Changarrito   Mexic-Arte Museum 419 Congress Avenue Austin, Texas 78701  12:00-4:00 PM RSVP on Facebook. Facebook Instagram

Recent Work. Boom.

Something Can Turn Into Something Else

cardboard, wood, acrylic, latex and duct tape, 2013

Currently on view in UT San Antonio Painting Graduate Studios