Irwin Peralta. Maker of art.
About the work
I am a painter. My preference is to work in oil because of the freedom to move the paint around and the ability to put down definite brush strokes. Mostly, I've painted on 140lb cold press water color paper. I gessoed the paper and applied a light gray acrylic wash to further separate the oil from the paper. For my newer medium sized works, I have started to paint on oil primed linen panels.
My paintings express my interest in the balance of graphic shapes and three dimensional forms. I am investigating how to combine flat two dimensional shapes with three dimensional observations of light and shadow. Like so many who came before me, I am interested in how light travels thru space and interacts with objects. I call to the viewer in order to have them fill in what is only suggested. My hope is that the paintings read at a distance as large abstract shapes, then as representing the subject in a clearer manner, and finally as clean brush strokes up close.
I toil to understand how the paint works, what I can do, and the interactive qualities of light. Also, I struggle because I know there are so many great painters in the present and in the past. It is a lot to aspire to.
About the artist
Irwin Peralta was not born as a savant or genius. When he was young, his art was unimpressive. He started by tracing magazines and copying comic book / anime art. Somehow, he believed that true artists worked from their imagination only. Eventually, this myth was dispelled.
Growing up, there were not many opportunities for him to learn about art. However, he did take one workshop. Besides that, Irwin has taught himself from books, DVD’s, and online videos.
Irwin had the notion that oil paint was reserved for the old masters. Then, he saw a man painting on TV. Bob Ross made oil painting seem possible for mere mortals, and allowed Irwin to begin painting. He then discovered that his main problem in painting was drawing. So he stopped painting for a couple of years to focus on drawing only employing the atelier method. Irwin would set up casts and simple white objects to draw from direct observation, gradually increasing the level of difficulty.
Irwin practiced painting from life in Denver for five years. Most of this time was spent at the Art Students League of Denver. Irwin has since moved to the greater Dallas, TX area. After a break, he has begun creating works of art again.
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