Southwestscapes
On Thursday April 6, The Art Avenue Gallery hosted Southwestscapes: El Paso Through the Eyes of Terrance Flores, an art exhibition with works of Terrance Flores.
This man has a way with his hands—Terrance Flores, El Paso native, recreates Southwest landscapes with soft colors and a velvety brush stroke. In his premier exhibition Flores shows his passion for desert vistas by painting a variety of prickly pears with flat fleshy pads adorned with multiple colored flowers, the Franklin Mountains nestled in the background, billowing clouds above.
Carpenter by trade, Flores builds his own frames and uses his graphic design background to create Post-Impressionistic-inspired pieces with a Borderplex twist. Painting less than a year, Flores says landscapes are his first love, yet his multidimensional approach to painting animals shows a distinct style not indicative of the region. The layers of colors spread throughout his work shows movement, texture and perspective and Flores classifies his work as graphic-contemporary art.
A graduate of Eastwood High School, Flores grew up sketching and observing his father paint Southwest landscapes. He would spend time learning lettering skills with his dad yet never realizing he also had a talent for painting. “I had my own sign company at one time and this past summer, I thought I would practice my brush strokes, but instead of letters I drew clouds, cacti and animals,” said Flores. He finished off some pieces with rustic framing, showing his carpentry expertise.
Forgoing the more traditional canvas and acrylics route, Flores instead uses oils and paints on vintage metal panels from appliances, boards and wood. “When I first noticed Flores’s work, I was drawn into the use of colors and how each stroke created movement. I was surprised to learn he’s only been painting for less than a year. He’s a rare find,” said Kimberly Rene’ Vanecek, owner of the Art Avenue Gallery.
Southwestscapes—El Paso through the eyes of Terrance Flores will be on display through February.
