PRESS RELEASE
In the Main Gallery
May 7 - June 6, 2015
Opening Reception: Thursday, May 7, 6-8PM
Margaret Thatcher Projects is pleased to present, Suite Color, an exhibition of new paintings by Carlos Estrada-Vega. At the center of the exhibition is a series of vibrant 8 x 8 inch paintings, each composed of more than 300 blocks of color. For these, Estrada-Vega pre-selected and prepared 300 colors, varying from acidy greens to rusted hues of red, arranging and re-arranging each hue to create 16 unique compositions. Rich in texture and surface, the completed forms recall a soft topography, with colors inspired by the artist’s Mexican heritage.
The components that Estrada-Vega arranges to create his works are prepared beforehand. Small blocks of wood are cut, and then painted with a color-saturated mixture of pigments, limestone and wax. Considering each as an individual brushstroke, Estrada-Vega proceeds to compose his paintings intuitively, mounting these pieces onto metal plates using magnets.
For Estrada-Vega, this process is an essential experience in the creation of his paintings, enforcing a repetitive physical behavior that simultaneously requires observation and meditation. Attracted to the discipline required for such a manner of working, he considers his works an ode to labor and commitment. Composed in a grid, his paintings recall aspects of minimalism, while the sensuous application of the paint itself, gives away Estrada-Vega’s affection for luscious, colorful abstraction.
Carlos Estrada-Vega was born in Chihuahua, Mexico in 1955. The artist lives and works in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Paintings by Estrada-Vega have exhibited widely, with solo exhibitions throughout North America, Europe and Australia. Recent solo museum exhibitions include Tanganyika at the El Paso Art Museum (El Paso, TX, 2012) and África at the Museo Casa Chihuahua (Chihuahua, Mexico, 2011.) Public Collections include the Museum Katharinehof (Kranenburg, Germany), The Oakland Museum (Oakland, CA), The Portland Art Museum (Portland, OR) and the Museo Casa Chihuahua (Chihuahua, Mexico.)