D A T E
March 16 – April 7, 2018
Sebastiao Pereira
Opening Reception
March 16
Closing Reception
April 6
Modified Arts presents a brand-new solo exhibition by internationally-renowned watercolorist Sebastiao Pereira, alongside select works from his previous bodies of work. Curated by Clottee Hammons and Emancipation Arts.
Artist Statement
Collage is a french word coller which means “to glue.” The term precedes French and Spanish artists George Braque and Pablo Picasso, but the two artists were the pioners of collage in the field of modern art. They created works of art by attaching pieces of different materials such as paper, cloth, or wood to a flat surface.
(un) FAMILIAR FACES is a series of paper collages on canvas and board of 30 plus large scale portraits of people I know. They are my heros. They are my friends. One is a chef and cooks for seniors, another is a care giver in a nursing home, another is a self taught engineer. They are university, college professors, high school teachers. Some of them are fellow artists. The portrait of my friend Joe Willie Smith was the first collage I did. In a local art competition I found myself competing against myself for best of show. My watercolor painting prevailed, but Joe willie’s portrait did not go unnoticed. I still hear remarks about it. I was encouraged to continue making the collages. Recently Bettsy Dillard Stroud wrote about my watercolor fractals series on her book Watercolor: Masters and Legends. The pebble paintings are part of a series titled “Meditation in Blue” I use liquid watercolor and colored pencils. The process is very meditative to me.
There are 2880 individually cut squares on each paper collage. The size of each canvas is 60”x48”. The paper is from various paint companies. The black and white collages are made out of paper from art magazines.
Biography
“One’s resemblance to one’s parents is always strong enough without putting on their clothes.” Juan Gris
I resort to my parents’ works as sources of inspiration. My mother wove blankets and my father wove bamboo baskets.
Born in Brazil and educated in the United States Sebastiao Pereira has a long list of solo exhibitions and over 80 juried local,state, national and international competitions. He has shown with the American Watercolor Society in New York, Watercolor USA at the Springfield Art Museum in Springfield, Missouri. His work has been selected by many well known artists as part of juried competitions; Janet Fish, Judi Betts, Eduard Betts, Betsy Dillard Stroud, Dick Phillips, Ed Mel, Dean Mitchel are some of the judges . He has served as a Juror for many arts organizations. His work was the cover article of International Artist magazine issue #6 representing his native country of Brazil. Sebastiao is one of the 34 artists Bettsy Dillard Stroud chose for her most recent book “Watercolor: Masters and Legends. Secrets, Stories and techniques from 34 Visionary Artists.”
Mr. Pereira taught Portuguese to the American Peace Corps in Brazil, leading the Peace Corps Newsletter online published and extensive article about him. The article first appeared at the Worthington Daily Globe in Minnesota and was translated into Portuguese and published by several newspapers in New York, New Jersey, Florida, and throughout Brazil. Sebastiao Pereira lectures to college and university students around the country. Most recently, the artist presented 5 solo exhibitions in Iowa and Minnesota to accompany a series of lectures and workshops to children and professional adults.
Sebastiao Pereira completed both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Fine Arts from Arizona State University.
Gallery Hours:
Local First Arizona staff:
Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
Gallery staff:
First Friday, 6-10 p.m.
Third Friday, 6-9 p.m.
Saturday, 12-4 p.m.
Or by appointment, scheduled by E-mail.
Modified Arts
407 E. Roosevelt St.
Phoenix, AZ 85004
www.modifiedarts.org
