Emmanuel Gonzalez has been very busy painting and the community is richer for his efforts.  We met Emmanuel as an emerging artist only two years ago and are spellbound by his achievements thus far.  In this article, The Rickie Report looks at his winning entry for “Keys to the Cities” and his exhibit at OSGS | Gallery Studio in Northwood.  Expect to see more from this young, talented creative!

 

 

 

Emmanuel Gonzalez

 

 

 

 

18 Pianos, 18 Pianists, 17 Artists, 1,584 Keys

 

 

 

 

Kathi Kretzer shared, “The judges and board members could not have been any more pleased with the fabulous results of choosing Emmanuel Gonzales to paint one of our pianos for the Kretzer Piano Music Foundation’s Keys to the Cities event.  During the event,  his piano was chosen to be on display at the Palm Beach Cultural Council location in Lake Worth where it was performed on by many talented pianists including Dr. Roberta Rust, Chair of the Piano Department at Lynn Conservatory of Music and Dr. Robin Arrigo.” As many as twenty used baby grand and upright pianos were donated by the Kretzer Piano Music Foundation. 

 

 

 

The event featured formal and impromptu concerts by professionals and passersby in an open festival of music.  After their public debut, the pianos were donated to local children’s charities and community organizations, enriching lives for years to come.  One of the pianists added, ” Emmanuel’s piano showed great creativity as well as good use of textures and colors and was a favorite of many who saw all 18 painted pianos.  His work is extraordinary.”

 

 

 

 

 

Emmanuel explains, “I wanted to create a piano that had a traditional yet organic feel to it. I first sanded the entire piano to remove the high gloss finish that the piano had. Using brown paper and old music sheets, I covered the entire piano and distressed it giving it an old, weathered antique feel.  Using  gold leaf accents to create contrast and depth I coated the legs, seat and underside of the piano.  700 5×5 inch sheets of gold leaf was used for this process !  The subject matter I used was a traditional 1950’s microphone surrounded by roses to convey a jazz lounge nightclub vibe.  I drew accent lines over the paintings to give movement and life to the image. Once everything was completed I coated the piano with four coats of polyurethane varnish to protect it and give it a slick finish.”

 

 

 

 

 

 EMMANUEL’S FINE ART

 

Emmanuel shares, ” I explore the past and present through realism and portraiture. My body of work includes a growing retrospective of American icons, where each piece is presented as a fragment in a larger American patchwork. Individually, my subjects attempt to characterize the social climate at a given moment in history. They are influential, recognizable images; relevant within specific ethnic and social groups. Some subjects are foreign to others outside of a particular group or generation. Just as one group identifies emotionally with a particular image through a shared social lens, outsiders will experience these images differently.”

 

 

 

He goes on, “The “recognition factor” of my subjects reaffirms the identity and unique cultural perspective of a specific group while simultaneously establishing an  “otherness” with viewers outside of a given group. I use pencil, pastels, oil, acrylic, and watercolor to create movement and energy to bring intimacy to large-scale pieces with an attention to subtleties often refined through detailed pencil work.”

 

 

 

 

This native Floridian, multi-media artist is full of energy.  From 2001 -2009, he had nine SOLO exhibits in addition to taking part in other gallery shows and competitions: DCOTA -Design Center of the Americas: “Palm Beach Collector” (Dania Beach, Florida), Catalyst Gallery (Historic Downtown Sanford, Florida),  Voight Galleries International (Palm Beach, Florida), Autumns Skye Gallery (West Palm Beach, Florida), 2013 “Endangered species” exhibit- Wynnwood Art District- Art Basel, to name a few.  

 

 

 

Emmanuel’s work can be found in private as well as corporate collections: The Chesterfield Hotel (Palm Beach Florida), Friars Club (New York, New York), Jim Towey, Director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, Palm Beach Collector, Design Center of the Americas (DCOTA) and Helen Rosberg (Wrigley Heir).  He is also available for commissions: 27 x 4 foot mural, West Palm Beach Fire Department, Station 1,  Designed website for author Helen Rosburg, www.helenrosburg.com, Illustrated “This Is The Book of Arabesque” for author Helen Rosburg, Cover art for Gary Davis film “The Nubian Vampire” and Poster and brochure for Gary Davis film “She is a spy too?”

 

 

 

Emmanuel is currently showing his artwork at OSGS (Ortiz Smykla|Gallery-Studio at 500 Northwood Road in West Palm Beach, FL).   For more information please contact: Evelyn Ortiz Smykla & Jonathon Ortiz-Smykla  at OSGS Ortiz-Smykla|Gallery-Studio  p: 561-833-2223  e: OSGSart@hotmail.com   www.OSGSart.com

 

 

 

 

To contact Emmanuel please visit: www.Emmanuelart.com  or  www.facebook.com/Artbyemmanuel  or email him at: emmanuelart@gmail.com

 

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Rickie Leiter, Publisher

The Rickie Report

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Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33420

Rickie@therickiereport.com

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