Yesterday, it was my utmost pleasure to meet with an exciting new artist, Carlos Gamez de Francisco. This young, emerging artist displays an extraordinary tenacity in his approach to working and being a professional. I was at first taken with the detail and talent he brings to the canvas and paper with a new perspective and freshness I have not before experienced in my thirty-plus years of being in the art business. I felt I was among the first to ‘discover’ this incredibly special artist. It was very exciting.
His portraiture exudes intriguing emotion in spectacular realism, yet his characters are immersed in a surreal world of overly emphasized royal splendor dotted with his trademark insects.
My colleague asked, “Why insects?” and his answer, although non-romantic exuded that tenacity I mentioned. He recalled as a child visiting the countryside and getting devoured by mosquitoes. Instead of this experience leaving him with a negative feeling, he was determined to learn more about bugs, recognizing that they are everywhere as an important, beautiful part of our eco-system. His insects, depending on their state, represent freedom, balance and chaos – moments in our lives.
The ornately decorated furniture and wallpaper, abundantly represented in his work reflect his classical training that was heavily influenced by the baroque period when artists catered to the royals and nobility. He combines this elegance and grandeur with whimsical creatures and wind-blown tresses creating an enchanting juxtaposition of yester-year’s formality and today’s casual lifestyle. None more evident than in his series of ‘Keep Your Pets Off Furniture’ where horses can be seen jumping on the sofa.
Carlos is as industrious a person as I have ever encountered, a discipline he attributes to his mother. He sets goals on his ‘vision board’ and works determinedly to achieve them. He believes in himself as he does in others – “you just do the right thing and things will come to you.”
I hope he’s right and maybe that’s why Carlos has come to me.
-B
