Art Exhibit: “Eyes of the Soul”
Artist: Hernan Peréz Peréz
Technique: Oils On Canvas
Opening: June 16
Ending: August 3
Location: Hidden Garden Art Gallery
*located 5 kms west of Liberia Airport (towards the beaches)
Gallery hours Tuesday – Saturday 10 am to 4 pm Phone: 8386-6872 or 8386-6968

Meet Costa Rican artist Hernan Peréz at the opening of “Eyes of the Soul” Saturday, June 16, 2012 from 10 am to 4 pm. As a child, not a day went by where he was not drawing something: scribbled fishing boats, waves smashing against cliffs, the beach, and images of the estuary and mangroves. As he explored his talent, he entered the workshop of the Austrian painter Herbert Birkner, where he learned the art of enameling on copper and numerous other techniques. With the strong spiritual connection to the earth and living in a country with fascinating ecology, he has become convinced that his art must have a relation to this environment that shapes and molds us.

From the artist: While having a strong spiritual connection to the earth and living in a country with fascinating ecology, I have become convinced that my art must have a relation to this environment that shapes and molds us. Anything else would be going against the tide. Many tourists fly here to take a quick glance at our jungles and wildlife, meanwhile, for me its all so close and easily accessible. I always thank God for this. Today, trees, bromeliads, flowers, vines, birds, waterfalls, frogs and butterflies fill my work. And in a magical and poetic act, I try to restore the world that my grandparents lived in and reinvent the “Promised Land”.

From art critic Paul Solano Jimenez:

“To define Perez’s paintings formally or conceptually is not an easy matter. His long career of experimentation in media and styles has been a constant. His works ranges from the almost “naive” in its early stages, to photorealism in some of his current work passing through intermediate stages where he nods to such disparate things as the Flemish school and pop. Through such stylistic eclecticism and continued study, Perez developed a refined technique, which allows him to achieve his formal artistic goals without any problems.”